On Thursday morning, the White House Press Office announced that U.S. President Joe Biden
tested positivefor COVID-19. | Drew Angerer/Getty Images
“I’m feeling great. You know, I’ve had two full nights of sleep — all the way through,” Biden said. “I hope I’m back to work in person by the end of this week.”
Biden’s statement came while fielding questions from reporters at the close of his meeting with business community members during which he discussed the CHIPS Act. The event had become virtual to accommodate the president’s diagnosis.
“My voice is still raspy. I’ve had every morning and every afternoon and every evening a full-blown series of tests,” the president said, adding that he is “feeling better every day.”
The president’s remaining symptoms include residual nasal congestion and minimal hoarseness, Kevin O’Connor, Biden’s doctor, wrote in a letter released earlier on Monday. The president will continue the Paxlovid treatment and will stay on a low dose of aspirin as an alternative type of blood thinner, according to the letter.
“The President completed his fourth full day of PAXLOVID last night,” O’Connor wrote. “His symptoms are now almost completely resolved … His pulse, blood pressure, respiratory rate and temperature remain absolutely normal. His oxygen saturation continues to be excellent on room air. His lungs remain clear. ”
O’Connor also reiterated that the BA.5 variant is “particularly transmissible” and that the president would continue to isolate in accordance with CDC recommendations.