First lady Jill Biden tests positive for COVID-19

First lady Jill Biden tested positive for the coronavirus while on vacation with President Biden in South Carolina, her office said Tuesday.

Mrs. Biden tested positive after developing cold-like symptoms. She tested negative on an antigen test, but a more sensitive PCR detected the virus.

“The first lady is double-vaccinated, twice boosted, and only experiencing mild symptoms,” Mrs. Biden’s spokeswoman, Elizabeth Alexander, said.

She said Mrs. Biden has been prescribed Paxlovid and will isolate herself from others for at least five days under guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Mrs. Biden tested positive little more than a week after Mr. Biden emerged from his lengthy isolation at the White House due to the virus.

The president stayed away from others until he received a negative test, and then isolated a second time after testing positive as part of a “Paxlovid rebound” following treatment. 

Mr. Biden emerged on Aug. 7 for a quick trip to Delaware before his weekly business in Washington and his South Carolina trip with family.

Mrs. Biden’s team said close contacts of the first lady have been notified.

The first lady is at a private residence in South Carolina and will stay there until she receives two consecutive negative tests, Ms. Alexander said.

For more information, visit The Washington Times COVID-19 resource page.