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First lady Jill Biden tests positive for COVID-19 in rebound case

President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden exit Marine One at Charleston Executive Airport, S.C., on Aug. 10.
Manuel Balce Ceneta
/
AP
President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden exit Marine One at Charleston Executive Airport, S.C., on Aug. 10.

First lady Jill Biden has tested positive for COVID-19 in a "rebound" case, though her office says she does not have symptoms. The White House Medical Unit has notified close contacts, the first lady's communications director Kelsey Donohue said in a statement.

The first lady, who is 71, first tested positive on Aug. 16 while on vacation with the president in South Carolina. She remained in isolation for five days, undergoing a course of Paxlovid treatment and proceeded to join the president in Delaware on Sunday after two negative tests.

The president tested negative this morning, according to the White House. He contracted COVID-19 in July and also had a rebound case after being treated with Paxlovid. The president left his second isolation period on Aug. 6.

"Consistent with CDC guidance because he is a close contact of the First Lady, he will mask for 10 days when indoors and in close proximity to others," according to the White House. "We will also keep the President's testing cadence increased and continue to report those results."

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Washington desk