Jill Biden Tests Negative for COVID-19, Rejoins the President in Delaware

The First Lady, who had been isolating for five days, tested negative for the virus twice and will resume her regular duties

First Lady Jill Biden tested negative for COVID-19 and reunite with President Joe Biden at their Delaware beach home for some continued rest and relaxation, the White House announced Sunday.

The First Lady, 71, took two tests, both of which returned a negative result, officials said.

"After isolating for five days and receiving negative results from two consecutive COVID-19 tests, the First Lady will depart South Carolina later today for Delaware," said a statement released by the First Lady's Communications Director Elizabeth Alexander.

She had been isolating in South Carolina after it was announced Tuesday that the First Lady had tested positive for the virus after showing symptoms the day before.

Jill spent several days vacationing on Kiawah Island in South Carolina with the president and their family, where she remained in isolation after her positive tests.

WASHINGTON, DC - OCTOBER 04: U.S. President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden return to the White House after spending the weekend in Delaware on October 04, 2021 in Washington, DC. Biden is scheduled to deliver remarks Monday about the need for Congress to raise the debt ceiling. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
Chip Somodevilla/Getty

The First Lady, who is double-vaccinated and twice boosted — like her husband — initially tested negative after her husband was diagnosed. It is unclear how she was exposed to the virus.

"She has been prescribed a course of Paxlovid and, following CDC guidance, will isolate from others for at least five days," Alexander's statement said at the time. "Close contacts of the First Lady have been notified."

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US President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden walk on the South Lawn of the White House after arriving on Marine One in Washington, D.C., US, on Monday, Aug. 8, 2022. Biden resumed official travel today for the first time since his bout with Covid-19, traveling to Kentucky to show federal support for the state's recovery from historic flooding and to console survivors of the devastation. Photographer: Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images
Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty

The announcement came nearly a month after President Biden, first tested positive for the virus — and 10 days after he officially tested negative for COVID-19.

Breakthrough cases of COVID-19 — infections that occur in people who have been fully vaccinated against the virus — are possible and expected, as the vaccines are not 100 percent effective. Still, vaccinated people who test positive will likely be asymptomatic or experience a far milder illness than if they were not vaccinated. The majority of deaths from COVID-19 — around 98 to 99 percent — are in unvaccinated people.

As information about the coronavirus pandemic rapidly changes, PEOPLE is committed to providing the most recent data in our coverage. Some of the information in this story may have changed after publication. For the latest on COVID-19, readers are encouraged to use online resources from the CDC, WHO and local public health departments.

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