Jill Biden tests positive for COVID-19

• US first lady Jill Biden tested positive for Covid-19.
• The White House reported that the first lady has «mild» symptoms.
• She was prescribed the antiviral drug Paxlovid and will isolate in their vacation home for at least five days.

First Lady Jill Biden has tested positive for Covid-19 and is experiencing «mild symptoms«, the White House announced Tuesday, August 16. President Joe Biden continues to test negative after recently recovering from the virus, but will wear a mask indoors for 10 days as a precaution.

The Bidens have been vacationing in South Carolina since August 10 and the 71-year-old first lady began experiencing symptoms on Monday. Jill Biden, like her husband, has been twice vaccinated and twice boosted with the Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine.

Jill Biden tests positive for Covid-19

She has been prescribed the antiviral drug Paxlovid and will isolate in their vacation home for at least five days. «Close contacts of the First Lady have been notified,» her communications director, Elizabeth Alexander, said in a statement.

“She is currently in a private home in South Carolina and will return home after getting two consecutive negative Covid tests,» Alexander said, according to The Associated Press. The president tested negative for the virus on Tuesday morning, the White House said, but will wear a mask indoors for 10 days.

What about Joe Biden?

Joe Biden plans to return to Washington on Tuesday to sign the Democrats’ landmark climate change and health care bill in the afternoon, before going to his home in Wilmington, Delaware. He recovered from a rebound case of the virus on August 7.

«In accordance with CDC guidance, because he is a close contact of the First Lady, he will wear a mask for 10 days when indoors and around others,» the White House said.