Jill Biden tests positive for Covid with 'mild symptoms' as Joe tests negative
Jill Biden has tested positive for coronavirus, her office confirmed on Monday night - as the White House confirmed that Joe Biden tested negative.
The First Lady is 'experiencing mild symptoms' and will remain at the couple's home in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware. Meanwhile, the White House confirmed Joe - who was last spotted with his wife on Saturday but was also in Delaware on Monday - has tested negative for the virus.
A spokesman said: "This evening, the First Lady tested positive for COVID-19. She is currently experiencing only mild symptoms. She will remain at their home in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware."
The president and first lady pictures just a few days ago en route to Florida - we don't know yet when the first lady picked up the virus (Getty Images)White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said: 'Following the First Lady's positive test for COVID-19, President Biden was administered a COVID test this evening. "The President tested negative. The President will test at a regular cadence this week and monitor for symptoms."
President Joe Biden last had the virus in July of 2022, when he also experienced some mild symptoms and tested negative again within a few days. Jill Biden also caught the virus last summer in August of 2022, when she was ill for a few days and then tested negative after five full days in quarantine.
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The two were prescribed the antiviral drug Paxlovid in 2022 when they each exhibited symptoms of the virus that started a global pandemic, but so far it's unclear if the first lady requires medical treatment for this recent diagnosis.
First lady Jill Biden has tested positive for coronavirus - but her team says she's fine, and experiencing 'mild' symptoms (AFP via Getty Images)President Biden is scheduled to depart the U.S. on Thursday for a trip to India and Vietnam, but it looks like the first lady has opted to stay home in Delaware.
The president's wife is just the latest to catch the new variant, which is quickly spreading across the United States. Variant BA.2.86, nicknamed Pirola, has drawn comparisons to the Omiron variant which spread rapidly in late 2021. In an update, the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said scientists are now "evaluating how previous immunity from vaccinations or past infections protect against this new variant".
Health experts will be conducting tests to see how effective antibodies are in limiting the effects of the new variant. So far, antibodies and other parts of the body's immune system "have been less affected by viral evolution and are not predicted to have decreased activity against BA.2.86."
Despite its nickname, the virus is currently considered a variant of Omicron, but this will change should it begin to spread more rapidly. The last time Jill Biden was ill with COVID-19, she had two vaccinations and two booster jabs against the disease. It's unclear what boosters or updates to the vaccine have been given to the first lady.
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