“His main symptoms, although less bothersome, now include a sore throat, rhinorrhea, loose cough, and body aches,” wrote Dr. Kevin O’Connor. “His voice remains deep. His pulse, blood pressure, respiratory rate and temperature remain entirely normal. His oxygen saturation remains excellent on room air. His lungs remain clear.”
Biden completed his second full day of Paxlovid Friday night and will continue to receive the antiviral drug, O’Connor said.
O’Connor wrote that Biden’s “causative agent” is “very likely” the BA.5 Covid-19 variant, which he notes is “responsible for 75-80% of infections in the United States right now.”
Biden “will continue to self-isolate in accordance with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommendations,” O’Connor said, and will be treated with oral hydration, Tylenol and low-dose aspirin as an alternative. of blood thinner.
O’Connor said Biden, who had asthma when he was younger, will also continue to be treated with his albuterol inhaler “as needed,” which he has used a few times since testing positive.
“We have reason to believe (Biden) is going to do very well,” Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, told CNN’s Amara Walker on Saturday morning.
While he has not spoken directly with the president, Fauci said he has been in “very close contact” with O’Connor after Biden’s positive test result this week.
Fauci said Biden “has no problem breathing right now” and that using an inhaler is what Biden “does regularly, when he has an upper respiratory infection.”
At 79, Biden is at greater risk of a more severe case of Covid-19 because of his age, but he is fully vaccinated and boosted twice, which the CDC says reduces the risk of hospitalization and death for older adults
O’Connor has been providing written updates on Biden’s illness and health status, but has yet to publicly answer questions about it.
The White House medical unit will continue to monitor Biden “closely,” O’Connor said.
First lady Jill Biden, who is a close contact with the president, tested negative for Covid-19 on Saturday, her spokesman Michael LaRosa said. He is not experiencing any symptoms of Covid-19 and continues to remain at his home in Wilmington, Delaware.
Thursday marked “Day 0” on the president’s Covid-19 timeline, meaning he would be in isolation until at least Tuesday according to CDC guidelines.
But Fauci confirmed to CNN on Saturday that Biden would be released from isolation once he tests negative for Covid-19, departing from CDC guidelines.
“You really have to go by the circumstances you’re in,” Fauci said. “The president is in a position to be able to test every day and wait until it’s negative before he comes back. But that doesn’t mean everyone has to.”
This story has been updated with additional information.
CNN’s Arlette Saenz contributed to this report.