First lady Jill Biden tests negative for Covid-19

By Sam Fossum and Kate Bennett, CNN

First lady Jill Biden on Sunday will leave isolation in South Carolina for Delaware after testing negative for Covid-19, according to her communications director, Elizabeth Alexander.

“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,” Alexander said in a written statement.

Jill Biden is joining President Joe Biden in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, on Sunday. The President arrived there on Saturday evening. He has no public events on his schedule for the day.

The first lady tested positive for Covid-19 on Monday while she and the President were vacationing with several members of their family on Kiawah Island, South Carolina. The President returned to Washington the following day for a bill signing before moving on to Delaware. It was the first time Jill Biden had Covid-19, according to Alexander.

The first lady had been taking the drug Paxlovid to help ease symptoms. The President also took the antiviral medication when he had Covid-19 last month. He eventually tested positive for a rebound case of Covid-19, which happens to some people who take Paxlovid.

Jill Biden, 71, is fully vaccinated, having received her second booster shot in April.

During her isolation, the first lady was working on planning for the upcoming fall term for her job as an English professor at Northern Virginia Community College, a White House official told CNN last week.

This story has been updated with additional details.

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CNN’s Betsy Klein contributed to this report.