US President Joe Biden, who has coronavirus disease (COVID-19) appears on a screen during a virtual meeting with his economic team at the White House in Washington, US, July 22, 2022. REUTERS/Elizabeth Frantz
President Joe Biden's COVID-19 symptoms continue to improve and now include "less troublesome" sore throat, runny nose, loose cough and body aches, his physician, Dr. Kevin O'Connor, said in a memo on Saturday.
Biden's lungs remain clear and his oxygen saturation "continues to be excellent on room air," the doctor said.
Biden, 79, tested positive for COVID on Thursday, when the White House said he was experiencing mild symptoms. His diagnosis came as a highly contagious subvariant of the coronavirus drives a new wave of cases in the United States.
Biden most likely has that BA5 variant, O'Connor said.
"The president continues to tolerate treatment well. We will continue PAXLOVID as planned," he said, referring to the Pfizer Inc antiviral drug the president is taking.
The White House has sought to underscore Biden's ability to work through his illness. On Thursday it released a video of the president reassuring Americans he was doing fine, and on Friday he participated in virtual meetings with White House staff.
His schedule showed no presidential events over the weekend. The president's wife, first lady Jill Biden, is at their home in Wilmington, Delaware.
