President Biden tested negative on a rapid antigen test for the coronavirus — twice — and will emerge from isolation and deliver remarks from the Rose Garden on Wednesday, the White House said.
Mr. Biden’s doctor, Kevin O’Connor, said Mr. Biden remains fever-free without the help of pain relievers and his symptoms are basically gone.
He tested negative late Tuesday and again on Wednesday morning.
“Given these reassuring factors, the president will discontinue his strict isolation measures,” Dr. O’Connor said in his daily memo on the president’s condition.
Mr. Biden will continue to wear a well-fitting mask when he is around others until Day 10 from his positive test.
Guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention urge people to wear a mask until Day 10 after completing five days of isolation.
All eyes will be on Mr. Biden to see if he dons a mask in the Rose Garden, which is outside and allows for spacing from the press and aides.
The CDC says persons should wear a mask during the precautionary period when they “are around others inside your home or in public.”
Dr. O’Connor said the medical team will monitor Mr. Biden for any signs of Paxlovid “rebound,” in which persons who complete a course of the Pfizer antiviral drug see a reemergence of symptoms.
“The president will increase his testing cadence, both to protect people around him and to assure early detection of any return of viral replication,” the doctor wrote.
For more information, visit The Washington Times COVID-19 resource page.
• Tom Howell Jr. can be reached at thowell@washingtontimes.com.
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