President Biden improving from COVID infection, likely caught highly contagious BA.5 variant: doctor

President Biden appears to be weathering his recent COVID infection well, shaking off a low-grade fever but still suffering from mild symptoms of the virus, his doctor said in a White House memo released Saturday.

The commander-in-chief, 79, tested positive for the deadly virus on Thursday and reported a mild fever of 99.4 degrees and fatigue on Friday.

White House physician Kevin O’Connor wrote Biden’s temperature has since returned to normal, but added that he’s still fighting off body aches, a sore throat, cough and runny nose among his remaining symptoms.

“His symptoms continue to improve,” the doctor wrote.

The president caught the highly contagious BA.5 subvariant which currently infects more than 120,000 people in the U.S. each day, according to symptoms described by his doctor.

O’Connor has been treating Biden’s infection with the anti-viral medication Paxlovid, and the aches and pains with Tylenol. An albuterol inhaler two to three times a day has been helping suppress his cough. The president has reported no shortness of breath, a common symptom in severe cases, and he continues to drink plenty of fluids and take a low dose of aspirin as a blood thinner.

“His pulse, blood pressure, respiratory rate and temperature remain entirely normal,” O’Connor said. “His oxygen saturation continues to be excellent on room air. His lungs remain clear.”

It’s unclear where Biden picked up the bug, but he’s not alone.

Data reported by Johns Hopkins University show an average of 163,000 people in the U.S. have contracted all forms of the COVID-19 virus, not just the BA.5 variant, and about 650 have died from the disease each day over the last week.

The president has received four COVID vaccine doses — two regular shots and two boosters — and “is responding to therapy as expected,” O’Connor wrote.

Biden is in isolation at the White House as he fights off his infection. It’s the first time he’s reported catching COVID since the virus spread rapidly throughout the country more than two years ago.

He has milder symptoms from the virus than former President Donald Trump, who reported a positive test on Oct. 2, 2020 — three days after participating in an on-stage debate against Biden.

Trump caught the virus before COVID vaccines were available to the public, and was hospitalized at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center for three days.