President Joe Biden speaks at the White House on Aug. 5, 2022. Photo: Evan Vucci/Getty Images
President Joe Biden tested positive for COVID-19 for the seventh consecutive day on Friday.
The big picture: Initially testing positive on July 22, Biden tested negative after five days of the antiviral Paxlovid treatment but has had a "rebound" COVID case since last Saturday.
- The 79-year-old president is fully vaccinated and received a second booster shot in March.
What they're saying: The president continues to feel "very well," Biden's doctor, Kevin O'Connor, wrote Friday.
- "His cough has almost completely resolved," O'Connor added.
- "His temperature, pulse, blood pressure, respiratory rate and oxygen saturation remain entirely normal. His lungs remain clear," O'Connor said.
- The doctor said Biden is continuing to follow "strict isolation measures," although he did speak at the Rose Garden on Friday.
For the record: The CDC says people can end their COVID isolation after five full days if they are fever-free for 24 hours without the use of fever-reducing medication and other symptoms have improved.
- Biden has continued to test positive on an antigen test.
- Antigen tests may remain positive for weeks to months after initial infection and may not always indicate contagiousness, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Be smart: "Rebound" cases of COVID-19 are possible for those who take Paxlovid, but it remains relatively rare, according to a Mayo Clinic study released in June.
- "Paxlovid continues to be recommended for early stage treatment of mild to moderate COVID-19 among persons at high risk for progression to severe disease," the CDC said in May.