Biden tests positive for COVID-19, White House announces

The president, who is 79 years old, has started taking Paxlovid, an antiviral treatment made by Pfizer, Jean-Pierre said in a statement. The positive test is the first known time Mr. Biden has contracted the coronavirus.

“Consistent with CDC guidelines, he will isolate at the White House and will continue to carry out all of his duties fully during that time,” she said. “He has been in contact with members of the White House staff by phone this morning, and will participate in his planned meetings at the White House this morning via phone and Zoom from the residence.”

The president is fully vaccinated and has received two booster shots. Prior to Thursday’s test, he had most recently been tested for COVID-19 on Tuesday, and the result was negative, Jean-Pierre said. First lady Dr. Jill Biden tested negative for COVID-19 on Thursday morning, according to her spokesman Michael LaRosa.

Mr. Biden will continue to “work in isolation until he tests negative,” Jean-Pierre said, after which he will return to working in-person. The White House will provide daily updates on the president’s status “out of an abundance of transparency,” she continued.

The president’s diagnosis comes days after he returned from a four-day trip to the Middle East, his first as president, and the day after he delivered remarks in Massachusetts on actions his administration is taking to combat climate change. Mr. Biden was joined on the trip aboard Air Force One by members of Massachusetts’ congressional delegation, including Massachusetts Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Ed Markey, both Democrats.

The White House Medical Unit will notify all of Mr. Biden’s close contacts of his positive test, Jean-Pierre said, including those who interacted with the president during his trip Wednesday.

The president has managed to avoid contracting COVID-19 since the start of the pandemic, even as several members of his administration and top lawmakers were diagnosed — some after being around the president.

Vice President Kamala Harris tested positive for COVID-19 in April. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi contracted the virus earlier that month after attending two events at the White House, sharing the stage with Mr. Biden at one. Other members of the president’s Cabinet, including Attorney General Merrick Garland, Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra (who tested positive twice) and Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo have also had COVID-19.