President is on the mend
Biden says he’s ‘feeling better every day’ as he recovers from bout with COVID. Summit planned for vaccines.
WASHINGTON — President Biden said Monday that he’s “feeling better every day” as he recovers from his coronavirus infection, and the White House plans to hold a summit on Tuesday to discuss developing a new generation of vaccines that could better guard against contagious variants.
After participating in a virtual meeting to talk about computer chip manufacturing, Biden said “everything’s on the button” with the medical tests he has been receiving each evening.
He also said he has been sleeping better, joking that his dog had to wake him up in the morning.
“My wife’s not here, she usually takes him out,” Biden said. Shortly before 7 a.m., he said, he felt “the nuzzle of my dog’s nose against my chest.” First Lady Jill Biden has been at the family home in Delaware while the president isolates in the White House residence.
Biden said his voice is still raspy and he still has nasal congestion, but he’s “on my way to fully recovered, God willing.”
“I’m not keeping the same hours, but I’m meeting all my requirements that have come before me,” he said. It was Biden’s first public appearance since Friday. Although his voice was deeper and raspier than normal, a deep and persistent cough was all but gone.
He is also expected to deliver pre-recorded remarks to the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives conference in Orlando, Fla.
The vaccine summit on Tuesday, which involves top administration officials, scientists and pharmaceutical executives, comes as the country faces a surge of infections from BA.5, a variant that’s an offshoot of the Omicron strain.
Although the current generation of vaccines, plus antiviral drugs, have helped prevent hospitalizations and deaths, there are hopes that new versions could provide more durable protection against disruptive infections.
The president was probably infected by the BA.5 variant, and he tested positive on Thursday. A new note from his doctor, released on Monday, said his symptoms have “almost completely resolved.”
Dr. Kevin O’Connor also wrote that his vital signs remain “absolutely normal.”
Biden has been taking the antiviral drug Paxlovid, and he plans to remain isolated in the White House residence.
“He continues to be very specifically conscientious to protect any of the Executive Residence, White House, Secret Service and other staff whose duties require any (albeit socially distanced) proximity to him,” O’Connor wrote.