President Biden returns to White House after testing negative for COVID

President Joe Biden is back at the White House after testing negative for COVID-19 less than a week after contracting the virus, his physician said Tuesday.

The president had been isolating at his vacation home in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, since being diagnosed after his campaign event in Las Vegas on Wednesday. He completed his tenth dose of PAXLOVID on Monday morning, and by the next day, Dr. Kevin O'Connor said the president's symptoms had resolved.

"Over the course of his infection, he never manifested a fever, and his vital signs remained normal, to include pulse oximetry. His lungs remained clear," Dr. O'Connor said in a memo to the White House.

Genomic sequencing information revealed President Biden contracted the SARS-CoV-2 KP.2.3 variant, which according to the CDC and the White House accounts for around 33.3% of new U.S. infections. But recent CDC data shows positive tests for the virus are overall on a 12.6% upswing.

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President Biden, who is vaccinated and boosted, experienced mild symptoms since the onset of his case. His doctor previously said the president had been experiencing upper respiratory symptoms including a runny nose and a non-productive cough along with "general malaise."

The president will now continue to be monitored for any illness recurrence, his doctor said.

President Biden said he would address the nation on Wednesday — following his decision to drop out of the 2024 race.