Dr. Ashish Jha, the White House’s Covid coordinator, said a test should show within a week which variant infected the president. Credit… TJ Kirkpatrick for The New York Times
President Biden is “fine” and “sounds great,” Ashish K. Jha, the White House’s covid coordinator, said Thursday, adding that the president’s positive coronavirus test was being evaluated to determine which variant the ‘had infected
At a White House briefing, Mr. Jha said Biden would follow instructions from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and work in isolation for at least five days. He would then resume his normal schedule once he got a negative test.
However, White House officials were at times evasive or gave few details Thursday about Mr. Biden’s timeline before his positive test result, his testing cadence and who he was close to in recent days. White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre initially said Mr. Biden began experiencing his symptoms Wednesday evening after giving a speech on climate change in Massachusetts. He then took a previously scheduled test on Thursday morning and then reported his symptoms to his doctor, Mr. Yeah
Asked why Mr. Biden was photographed Wednesday without a mask at his desk and also in a video of him outside released by the White House, Ms. Jean-Pierre said the videographer and photographer involved were at least six feet apart and wearing N95 masks.
“And with the photo, he took off his mask so the American people could see him and see directly the work that he’s doing and that he’s sitting at his desk and continuing to do his work,” he said.
Mr. Jha said it takes about a week to determine which variant Mr. Biden was infected with, but the president’s test would be prioritized and would be done in less than a week. The BA-5 subvariant has quickly become the most dominant version of the coronavirus, accounting for more than three-quarters of new cases and increasing positive tests and hospitalizations.
“Because the president is fully vaccinated, double boost, his risk of serious illness is dramatically lower,” said Mr. Yeah “He is also being treated with a very powerful antiviral and this further reduces his risk of serious illness.”
Mr. Jha said the oxygen level of Mr. Biden was “regular,” without providing details, and it was unclear how often he would be monitored. Mr Jha said Mr Biden’s treatment for the coronavirus meant he would temporarily stop taking two of his regular medications, Crestor, a cholesterol-lowering drug, and Eliquis, which is meant to prevent blood clots.
Before his positive test on Thursday, Mr. Biden took his final test on Tuesday and received a negative result. Mr. Jha said that Mr. Biden is tested regularly and his testing cadence was developed with his personal physician, Dr. Kevin O’Conner. The White House did not make Mr. O’Conner available for interviews Thursday, breaking with the routine of previous administrations when the president fell ill.
Mr. Jha said the White House didn’t regret the time Biden spent unmasked in recent weeks and didn’t feel he acted too casually.
Mr. Biden was experiencing mild symptoms, including a runny nose, fatigue and a dry cough, Mr. Yeah He is taking Paxlovid, an antiviral drug, “which in this case provides additional protection against serious illness.” He said moving Mr. Biden to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center remained an option, but was not yet necessary given his “mild illness.”
Mr. Jha said that Mr. Biden’s vaccination status and use of the antiviral drug should also allay concerns about his age that could affect his condition. “All of these things very dramatically reduce your risk of serious illness,” said Mr. Yeah “And that’s really the goal here, is to prevent serious disease, to keep that risk as low as possible. I think he’s got that full set of protections.”
“Our expectation is that he will continue to have a mild illness and will be monitored for symptoms,” said Mr. Yeah He added: “We have no expectation of any further symptoms at this time.”
Mr. Jha and Ms. Jean-Pierre said at the time that Mr. Biden only experienced fatigue on Wednesday evening, adding that it was unclear whether it was related to his case of the coronavirus. “He said he felt tired last night, he went to bed, he didn’t sleep well, we’ve all had these, he woke up, took the test and then when asked about the symptoms, he reported that he had something this morning. runny nose and dry cough,” said Mr. Yeah
“I think he noticed the symptoms of the runny nose and sore throat this morning,” said Mr. Yeah
Mr. Jha and Mrs. Jean-Pierre said they did not know the exact moment when Mr. Biden began to feel his minor symptoms. Ms. Jean-Pierre said it was “safe to assume” that Mr. Biden had not been around White House staff members who had recently tested positive, given the administration’s policy of disclosing to the public when Mr. Biden is in close contact with an employee who has tested positive.
Ms. Jean-Pierre said the administration was still tracing contacts when asked if the officials who Mr. Biden were traveling or staying next door in recent days were considered close contacts. The White House did not provide a list of officials who were close to Mr. Biden.
Mr. Jha said there had been no discussion about re-evaluating White House protocol after Mr. Biden. Asked whether the public should assume a positive coronavirus case is inevitable at this point, Mr. Jha said, “I don’t think every American will get infected,” adding that the administration is focusing on providing vaccines and antiviral drugs to the public “to keep infections down.”