USA

U.S. first lady Jill Biden tests negative for COVID

cde.news desk 22 August 2022, 07:15 · 2 min read

epa10044782 First Lady Jill Biden watches as Marine One carrying President Joe Biden lands on the South Lawn of the White House upon Biden's return to Washington, DC, USA, 30 June 2022. Biden returned to Washington after attending summits in Germany and Spain. EPA-EFE/Oliver Contreras / POOL

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. first lady Jill Biden tested negative for COVID-19 after isolating for five days following a positive test, the White House said.

“After isolating for five days and receiving negative results from two consecutive COVID-19 tests, the First Lady will depart South Carolina later today for Delaware,” her spokesperson said in a statement.

The White House said on Tuesday that the first lady had tested positive and was experiencing mild symptoms. President Joe Biden himself also recently recovered from the virus.

Jill Biden, who like her husband has been vaccinated twice and boosted twice with the Pfizer Inc COVID-19 vaccine, was prescribed a course of Paxlovid.

She was in South Carolina where the Bidens were on vacation.

When she tested positive on Tuesday, the White House said the president would wear a mask for 10 days when indoors and when in close proximity to others because he was considered a close contact of the first lady. This was in accordance with guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

The president returned to Washington on Tuesday to sign a landmark climate change and healthcare bill, before continuing to his home in Wilmington, Delaware.

Reporting by Kanishka Singh in Washington Editing by Toby Chopra and Matthew Lewis