Jill Biden
Jill BidenReuters

First Lady Doctor Jill Biden, the wife of US president Joe Biden, has tested positive for the coronavirus while vacationing with her husband in South Carolina. The White House says she is experiencing mild symptoms.

"After testing negative for COVID-19 on Monday during her regular testing cadence, the First Lady began to develop cold-like symptoms late in the evening," her communications director, Elizabeth Alexander, said in a statement. "She tested negative again on a rapid antigen test, but a PCR test came back positive. The First Lady is double-vaccinated, twice boosted, and only experiencing mild symptoms."

Alexander added that the first lady is taking Paxlovid and will be in isolation for at least the next five days. "She is currently staying at a private residence in South Carolina and will return home after she receives two consecutive negative COVID tests."

Dr. Biden, like her husband, has been twice-vaccinated and twice boosted with the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine.

The first lady's positive test comes shortly after the president himself contracted the virus. He originally tested positive on July 21 and isolated at the White House while the first lady remained at the couple's residence in Delaware. He emerged from isolation six days later, but developed a "rebound" case on July 30, forcing him to return to isolation until Aug. 7.