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Shortly after testing negative for COVID-19 on Wednesday, President Joe Biden held himself up as an example that the worst effects of the virus are avoidable for most Americans these days.

Biden tested negative for the first time since he was diagnosed with the virus Friday and ended five days of isolation in the White House residence. He experienced mild symptoms, his doctor said, and continued to work, holding some virtual events.

In a White House Rose Garden speech Wednesday morning, the 79-year-old president credited being vaccinated and boosted twice for avoiding serious illness.

“My symptoms were mild,” Biden said. “My recovery was quick, and I’m feeling great. The entire time I was in isolation, I was able to work, to carry out the duties of the office, and without any interruption. It’s a real statement on where we are in the fight against COVID-19.”

While urging Americans to take precautions, such as testing when they experience symptoms and wearing masks at large indoor gatherings, Biden conceded that the highly contagious BA.5 omicron subvariant can be difficult to avoid. 

“The reality is that BA.5 means many of us are still going to get COVID even if we take the precautions,” he said. “That doesn’t mean we’re doing anything wrong.”

But the president said Americans can protect themselves from hospitalization or death, touting three tools the United States now has to mitigate the dangers of COVID-19 that it did not have or was in short supply of a year ago: booster shots, at-home testing and oral treatments. 

Biden completed his five-day course of Paxlovid, Pfizer’s oral antiviral COVID-19 treatment, on Monday, Dr. Kevin O’Connor, physician to the president, wrote in a letter Wednesday.

Vaccines and Paxlovid are available for free, and the Biden administration has been mailing free at-home tests to Americans who have requested them. 

“I got through with no fear, a very mild discomfort, because of these essential life-saving tools,” Biden said. 

The CDC recommends everyone age 5 and older receive their first booster shot at least five months after completing their initial vaccination. The agency also suggests people 50 and older receive an additional shot at least four months after their first booster.

“If you have your boosters … your odds of getting severely ill from COVID are very, very low,” Biden said. “Even older Americans are very unlikely to get severe COVID if they have two booster shots.”

To illustrate the country’s progress in combatting COVID-19, Biden compared his bout with the virus to former President Donald Trump’s in October 2020. 

“When my predecessor got COVID, he had to get helicoptered to Walter Reed Medical Center,” Biden said. “He was severely ill. Thankfully, he recovered. When I got COVID, I worked from upstairs at the White House … for the five-day period. The difference is vaccinations, of course, but also three new tools free to all and widely available.”

Biden, meanwhile, renewed his call for Congress to authorize new pandemic funding. For months, his administration has been pushing for $22.5 billion to help secure sufficient vaccine booster doses and develop variant-specific and pan-coronavirus vaccines, as well continue offering free testing and treatment to Americans and assisting in global vaccination efforts.

“Let’s keep investing in these tools,” the president said.

Biden will wear a “well-fitting mask” for 10 full days any time he is around others and will increase his testing cadence due to the potential of “so-called ‘rebound’ COVID positivity observed in a small percentage of patients treated with Paxlovid,” O’Connor said.

The president wore a mask in his walk to the podium Wednesday but removed it to speak.

Biden shared a picture of a negative COVID-19 test on Twitter shortly after O’Connor’s letter was released by the White House.

“Back to the Oval,” Biden wrote. “Thanks to Doc for the good care, and to all of you for your support.