• Tuesday, 24 December 2024

US first lady tests positive for Covid-19 while on vacation

US first lady tests positive for Covid-19 while on vacation

US First Lady Jill Biden tested positive for the coronavirus after developing mild symptoms while vacationing with her husband in South Carolina, the White House said on Tuesday.

A rapid antigen test was initially negative, but a PCR test came back positive. She will now isolate at the vacation home for at least five days and be treated with the antiviral drug Paxlovid. The first lady has been double vaccinated against the virus and received two booster shots. President Joe Biden, who has just recovered from his own coronavirus infection, tested negative on Tuesday. As a precaution, the White House said it would "increase the president's testing cadence and report those results." The president intends to return to Washington as planned to sign a sweeping new climate, health and tax package on Tuesday.