“After testing negative for COVID-19 on Monday during her routine tests, the First Lady began experiencing cold-like symptoms late at night. She tested negative again in a rapid antigen test, but a PCR test came back positive.” said Elizabeth Alexander, its communications director. The first lady, who is double-vaccinated and twice-boosted, takes Paxlovid, Pfizer’s antiviral drug, according to Alexander, who told CNN that Biden received the second booster shot in April. A person close to the first lady told CNN Tuesday morning that Jill Biden is “feeling fine” and has symptoms that resemble the “common cold.” The first lady is 71 years old, making her the oldest sitting first lady in modern American history. He works out several times a week, attending classes at local gyms. This is the first time he has had COVID-19, according to Alexander. The first lady is currently on Kiawah Island, South Carolina, with US President Joe Biden, who is due to return to Washington to sign the bill later on Tuesday. “He is currently staying at a private residence in South Carolina and will return home after receiving two consecutive negative tests for COVID,” Alexander added. Although in seclusion, the first lady is working on planning for the upcoming fall term for her job as an English professor at Northern Virginia Community College, a White House official tells CNN. He is also essentially attending an event to kick off the next semester. The President, who recently recovered from his own case of COVID-19, continues to test negative, spokeswoman Karin Jean-Pierre said on Twitter. He added that President Biden will follow the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s guidance on close contacts and wear a mask for 10 days “indoors and in close proximity to others.” “We will also increase the rate of testing the President and report these results,” Jean-Pierre added. President Biden initially tested positive for COVID-19 on July 21. He isolated himself while on a Paxlovid regimen, finally testing negative on July 27. However, on July 30 he tested positive for the virus as he had a rebound episode, which happens to some people taking Paxlovid. He went into self-isolation and was finally released from the White House on August 7 after testing negative for two consecutive days. During that time he did not see the first lady. The Bidens have been vacationing at the resort near Charleston with their family — including son Hunter, his wife Melissa and their son Beau — since last Wednesday. They held Mass on nearby John’s Island on Saturday and biked to the beach on Sunday. The first lady stopped by a few local shops by herself on Sunday. She did not accompany the President on his outing to the Beach Club on Kiawah Island on Monday night, according to a source close to the family. The first lady stayed behind at the residence as she dealt with her cold-like symptoms, the source said. Hunter Biden, his wife Melissa and baby Beau Biden were seen with the President as they left the club Monday afternoon after spending about an hour and fifteen minutes there. Family members traveling with the president and first lady have tested negative, Alexander said. Jill Biden has been an active voice encouraging vaccinations against COVID-19 since the President took office. He has traveled to 40 states, many of which were for COVID-related events that included discussing vaccines, reopening plans and the importance of booster shots. He spent several days last summer criss-crossing the southern United States begging Americans to drop their shots. “I want to point out that people don’t think they’re going to be affected. They think it’s not going to happen to them, and then it does — and then it’s too late. I don’t want them to take their health for granted,” she told CNN in an interview last year. July as he promoted vaccines in Savannah, Georgia.
