Jill Biden Tests Positive for Coronavirus Again in ‘Rebound’ Case

WASHINGTON — Jill Biden, the first lady, tested positive for the coronavirus again on Wednesday in what her office described as a rebound case, forcing her to isolate once again.

“The first lady has experienced no re-emergence of symptoms and will remain in Delaware where she has reinitiated isolation procedures,” Kelsey Donohue, her deputy communications director, said in a statement. “The White House Medical Unit has conducted contact tracing, and close contacts have been notified.”

President Biden returned to Washington from Rehoboth Beach, Del., on Wednesday morning, hours before the announcement about Dr. Biden’s positive test. The president tested negative in the morning, according to the White House.

Mr. Biden is considered a close contact of Dr. Biden and will wear a mask for 10 days while indoors and close to others, the White House said.

The first lady’s experience mirrors that of the president, who after his initial bout with Covid-19 last month was forced to return to isolation with a rebound case.

Dr. Biden first tested positive for the virus on Aug. 15 while on vacation with Mr. Biden in South Carolina, and she remained there to isolate. On Sunday, her office announced that she had received negative results on two consecutive tests and would travel to Delaware later in the day.

After initially testing positive for the virus, both the president and the first lady were prescribed Paxlovid, an antiviral medication that helps lessen the effects of the virus. But the medication can also cause those who take it to test positive and even experience symptoms again after finishing the treatment and testing negative. Ms. Donohue described the test result on Wednesday as “a ‘rebound’ positivity.”