President Biden is “is feeling fine” and “sounded great,” Ashish K. Jha, the White House Covid coordinator, said on Thursday, adding that the president’s positive coronavirus test was being assessed to determine which variant had infected him.
Speaking at a White House briefing, Mr. Jha said Mr. Biden would follow guidance 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 obtains a negative test.
White House officials at times, however, gave conflicting answers Thursday over Mr. Biden the timeline before his positive test result, his testing cadence and who he was in proximity with in recent days. The White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre initially said Mr. Biden began to experience his symptoms on Wednesday evening after delivering a speech on climate change in Massachusetts. He then took a pre-scheduled test on Thursday morning and then reported his symptoms to his doctor, Mr. Jha said.
Asked about why Mr. Biden was photographed Wednesday maskless at his desk and also in a video of him outside that the White House released, Ms. Jean-Pierre said the videographer and photographer involved were at least six feet away and wearing N95 masks.
“And with the photo, he took off his mask so that the American people could see him and see directly the work that he’s doing and that he’s sitting at his desk continuing to do his work,” she said.
Mr. Jha said it takes roughly a week to determine which variant Mr. Biden was infected with, but the president’s test would be prioritized and 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 driving up positive tests and hospitalizations.
“Because the president is fully vaccinated, double boosted, his risk of serious illness is dramatically lower,” Mr. Jha said. “He’s also getting treated with a very powerful antiviral and that further reduces his risk of serious illness.”
Mr. Jha said Mr. Biden’s oxygen level was “normal,” without providing specifics, and it was unclear how frequently it would be monitored. Mr. Jha said Mr. Biden’s treatment for the coronavirus meant he temporarily would stop taking two of his routine medications, Crestor, a cholesterol reducer, and Eliquis, which is meant to prevent blood clots.
Before his positive test on Thursday, Mr. Biden was last tested on Tuesday and received a negative result. Mr. Jha said Mr. Biden is tested regularly and his testing cadence was developed with his personal doctor, Dr. Kevin O’Conner. The White House did not make Mr. O’Conner available for interviews on Thursday, breaking with the routine of previous administrations when the president fell ill.
Mr. Jha said the White House had no regrets over the amount of time Mr. Biden spent unmasked in recent weeks and did not feel he behaved too casually.
Mr. Biden was experiencing mild symptoms, including a runny nose, fatigue and a dry cough, Mr. Jha said. He is taking Paxlovid, an antiviral drug, “which in this case provides additional protection against severe disease.” He said moving Mr. Biden to the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center remained an option but was not yet necessary given his “mild illness.”
Mr. Jha said Mr. Biden’s vaccination status and use of the antiviral drug should also calm concerns about his age could impact his condition. “All of those things very dramatically reduce his risk of serious illness,” Mr. Jha said. “And that’s really the goal here is, is to prevent serious illness, to keep that risk as low as possible. I think he’s gotten that full set of protections.”
“Our expectation is that he’s going to continue to have mild illness, and he’s going to be monitored for symptoms,” Mr. Jha said. He added “we have any expectations of any other symptoms at this point.”
Mr. Jha and Ms. Jean-Pierre then said Mr. Biden only experienced fatigue on Wednesday evening, adding it was not clear if it was related to his coronavirus case. “He said he felt tired last night, went to bed, didn’t have a great night of sleep — we’ve all had those — woke up, got tested and then when asked about symptoms, reported that indeed he had this morning some runny nose and a dry cough,” Mr. Jha said.
“I think he became aware of symptoms of the runny nose and sore throat this morning,” Mr. Jha said.
Mr. Jha and Ms. Jean-Pierre said they did not know the specific time Mr. Biden began feeling his minor symptoms. Ms. Jean-Pierre said it was “safe to assume” Mr. Biden had not been around staff members in the White House who had recently tested positive, given the administration’s policy of disclosing to the public when Mr. Biden is a close contact with a staffer who has tested positive.
Ms. Jean-Pierre said the administration was still conducting contact-tracing when asked whether officials Mr. Biden traveled with or stood alongside in recent days were considered close contacts. The White House did not provide a number of officials who were in proximity to Mr. Biden.
Mr. Jha said there has been no discussion about re-evaluating the White House’s protocol following Mr. Biden’s positive test. Asked if the public should assume a positive coronavirus case is inevitable at this point, Mr. Jha said, “I don’t believe every American will be infected,” adding the administration is focused on providing vaccines and antiviral drugs to the public “to keep infections down.”