5 things to know about Biden’s case of Covid

Amid a national surge of Covid-19, President Joe Biden tested positive after an event in Las Vegas Wednesday, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said in a statement.

His infection is the latest in a string of high-profile positive tests in Washington, including Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra and Rep. Barbara Lee (D-Calif.).

Biden, who is 81, is vaccinated and boosted and experiencing mild symptoms. He's returning to Delaware to isolate while he recovers and has received a first dose of the antiviral Paxlovid, according to the president's doctor.

What to know about Biden's second case of Covid-19:

1. Biden's age puts him at higher risk.

While being vaccinated and boosted against Covid protects against severe disease and death, being 81 ups Biden's chance of getting seriously sick. Adults over 65 have the highest risk of developing severe disease from Covid, and more than 81 percent of Covid-related deaths occur in that age group, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

“Even if somebody has been fully vaccinated and boosted multiple times, if you’re in his age group, the age in and of itself is a risk factor for more severe cases of Covid,” said Dr. Céline Gounder, an epidemiologist and infectious disease specialist at New York University’s medical school and editor-at-large for public health at KFF Health News.

2. Biden doesn’t have known underlying medical conditions that put him at higher risk.

Biden is being treated for obstructive sleep apnea, high cholesterol and atrial fibrillation, according to his most recent public health summary in February.

“We’re not aware of any underlying or chronic medical conditions that would be a risk factor for more severe Covid,” Gounder said.

Conditions that can increase risk include cancer; chronic kidney, liver or lung disease; dementia; diabetes and heart disease, among others, according to the CDC.

Biden’s doctor said in a White House statement the president’s vital signs — respiratory rate, temperature and blood oxygen levels — are all normal.

3. Taking Paxlovid could protect Biden against severe disease — and death. But it could interfere with another medication he takes.

Biden is taking Paxlovid, an antiviral pill regimen for Covid.

The drug interacts with several other medications, including statins to lower cholesterol. Biden takes Crestor to manage his cholesterol level, according to his health summary.

Biden’s doctor has likely advised him to stop taking the drug during his Paxlovid treatment, per National Institutes of Health guidelines . “They may need to be withheld for longer if the patient is an adult of advanced age or if the interacting medication has a long half-life,” according to the guidance.

Gounder said the most recent studies of Paxlovid use in vaccinated individuals don’t suggest the drug has a large effect on the course of disease in those patients, but added that Biden’s prescription is appropriate.

“I don’t think there’s too much downside, particularly when you’re talking about the president of the United States, to be a bit more cautious,” she said.

4. This is Biden's second bout with Covid.

Research suggests that each Covid infection increases the chances of developing long Covid.

The president contracted Covid for the first time in summer 2022 and had mild symptoms. He took Paxlovid and experienced Covid rebound, with symptoms returning after finishing his course of the treatment.

5. The latest Covid variant is gaining steam.

Biden’s infection comes as high or very high Covid virus levels are being recorded in the wastewater of 26 states, Gounder said. The CDC’s latest Covid data shows a significant uptick in emergency room visits due to the disease, and the test positivity rate as of July 6 was 11 percent.