US President Joe Biden returns to isolation after testing positive for Covid-19

First modification: 07/31/2022 – 03:21

For the second time this month, US President Joe Biden has tested positive for Covid-19.

In a letter released by the White House, Biden’s personal physician, Dr. Kevin O’Connor, announced that, although he has no symptoms, the president will isolate himself again for five days, until he tests negative again, to “protect” your family and collaborators.

“There is no resurgence in symptoms. He’s still feeling pretty good,” the doctor added. “Under the circumstances, there is no reason to restart treatment at this time, but obviously we will continue to watch closely,” he said.

Biden also announced the news on Twitter.

“Friends, I have tested positive for Covid-19 again. This happens to a small minority of people. I have no symptoms, but I will self-isolate for the safety of everyone around me,” he wrote.

The 79-year-old American president had been treated with Paxlovid, Pfizer’s drug against the virus.

The positive result places him in the minority of people who have been prescribed the drug and who experienced a rebound of the virus. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and Pfizer note that between 1% and 2% of people who participated in the initial study of Paxlovid treatment had the virus again after 10 days.

Paxlovid is an antiviral treatment that works by reducing the ability of the virus to replicate, which slows down the progression of the disease. To be effective, it must be taken within the first few days after the onset of symptoms.

In the United States, it is recommended for people at risk of developing a severe case of the disease, a category in which the president of the United States is included due to his age.

The BA.5 variant is “more invasive”

While patients who recovered from previous Covid-19 variants tended to have high levels of immunity for 90 days against future infections, Dr. Ashish Jha, the White House Covid-19 coordinator, said the BA variant. 5 that infected Biden turned out to be more “invasive” than the others.

“We have seen a lot of people infected in 90 days,” he added.

Biden had tested positive on July 21 with “very mild symptoms” and was released Wednesday after testing negative. The president, the oldest in the history of the presidents of the North American country, is vaccinated and has received two booster doses

Afp, Ap