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White House doctor Kevin O’Connor said on Saturday that Biden likely has the Omicron BA.5 variant.
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Biden tested positive for COVID-19 last week and has been experiencing mild symptoms so far.
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O’Connor in a memo said Biden’s symptoms “continue to improve.”
President Joe Biden likely caught the contagious Omicron BA.5 COVID variant, according to White House doctor Kevin O’Connor.
“The president’s causative agent is most likely the BA5 variant,” the president’s physician said in a memo released Saturday. “This is the SARS-CoV-2 variant which is responsible for 75-80% of infections in the United States at this time. This data does not affect the treatment plan in any way.”
O’Connor said Biden is experiencing symptoms like a sore throat and a cough but they “continue to improve.”
“His pulse, blood pressure, respiratory rate and temperature remain entirely normal,” the memo reads. “His oxygen saturation continues to be excellent on room air. His lungs remain clear.”
Biden is not experiencing any shortness of breath, O’Connor wrote in the memo.
Biden, 79, first tested positive for COVID-19 on Thursday. He got his first vaccine dose against the COVID-19 virus in December 2020.
At the time of the announcement of his infection, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said he was “experiencing very mild symptoms” and “has begun taking Paxlovid,” an antiviral drug.
Medical experts who spoke with Insider said his chances of contracting severe symptoms from the COVID-19 virus are low.
His age puts him in a bracket that has seen high mortality rates due to COVID-19, Insider’s Madison Hall and Hillary Brueck reported. But because he’s fully vaccinated and considered healthy, he’s not likely to experience severe symptoms, experts said.
In a video posted to social media, Biden on Thursday thanked supporters for their wish wishes.
“I’m doing well, getting a lot of work done, continuing to get it done. And in the meantime, thanks for your concern, and keep the faith,” he said.
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