Biden’s COVID-19 symptoms have ‘improved,’ doctor says

President Biden’s COVID-19 symptoms have “improved” but he ran a 99.4 degree temperature on Thursday evening, his physician Kevin O’Connor wrote in a memorandum on Friday.  

O’Connor said that Biden’s temperature has returned to normal after Biden took Tylenol and that the president continues to experience a runny nose, fatigue and an occasional cough.   

“His voice is deeper this morning. His pulse, blood pressure, respiratory rate and oxygen saturation remain entirely normal, on room air,” O’Connor wrote.  

The physician said that Biden is tolerating the antiviral Paxlovid “well” and that he would continue the course as planned. O’Connor said Biden would continue to drink water, take Tylenol and use his inhaler as needed.  

The letter is the first update from Biden’s physician since Thursday morning, when he wrote a letter detailing the president’s symptoms and treatment after he tested positive for COVID-19.  

Biden is up-to-date on his coronavirus vaccinations, having received his second booster in March, and began the Paxlovid treatment on Thursday.  

Initially, O’Connor said that the president was experiencing fatigue, a runny nose and a dry cough. White House officials said that the president began feeling tired on Wednesday night before testing positive on Thursday morning.  

White House COVID-19 coordinator Ashish Jha told CNN earlier Friday that he had checked in with Biden at 10 p.m. on Thursday and the president “was doing just fine.” Jha said Biden’s symptoms were the same and he wasn’t aware of any further positive cases stemming from the president’s case.  

Jha and White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre are scheduled to brief reporters on Friday afternoon.   

Since Biden’s diagnosis, the administration has displayed photos and a video of him working from the White House residence, where he is isolating.  

On Friday morning, the president’s Twitter account published a photo of him, taken the day before and wearing a mask and a suit, signing a bill to address the baby formula shortage.  

Biden is scheduled to take part in two virtual meetings on Friday afternoon, one with economic advisers about gas prices and a second with senior aides about legislative priorities. 

White House national security spokesman John Kirby told reporters Friday that Biden’s COVID-19 diagnosis has had “no impact whatsoever” on the national security decision-making process, noting that the president joined a regular call with his national security team on Friday morning.  

“He is working well from inside quarters, and the government continues to do what it needs to do to protect the American people and look after our interests around the world,” Kirby said. 

—Updated at 2:22 p.m.