First Lady Jill Biden has tested positive for COVID-19 but is showing mild symptoms. The Associated Press reported that President Joe Biden had tested negative for the virus. According to White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre, President Biden will continue testing and symptom monitoring.

Jill Biden will stay at a temporary residence in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware.

The increase in COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations in the US has officials concerned about Pirola, or BA.2.86. This variant risks infection in several locations, according to the CDC. The Pirola variety looks to be less severe than the initial COVID-19 strain or the lethal Delta variant that killed millions in earlier pandemic waves.

The CDC also warns that this variation may infect people who have survived another coronavirus strain or received COVID-19 vaccinations, possibly causing additional breakthrough infections.

The CDC says President Biden ordered all U.S. citizens to have a COVID-19 fall booster shot in August to avoid another wave of illnesses.

A revamped Moderna COVID-19 vaccine is said to have shown an efficacy rate against subvariants Eris and Fornax among those who got it. Vaccines made by Novavax, Pfizer, and BioNTech SE target the XBB.1.5 subvariant.

The WHO has called the variant of interest BA.2.86 reported on July 24, 2023, because it has more than 35 mutations that account for another previously identified variant.