Despite testing positive for Covid-19, President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. is doing well and continues giving out directives to Cabinet officials while in isolation, Malacañang said.

Press Secretary Trixie Cruz-Angeles said this after she announced that Marcos contracted Covid-19 on Friday, July 8, his second bout with the disease.

"His personal doctor, Dr. Zacate, reported Saturday that the President is doing well and very much in stable condition," Angeles said in a statement on Sunday morning.

According to the Palace official, Marcos was visited by his lead physician, Dr. Samuel Zacate, on Saturday afternoon. Zacate noted that the Chief Executive has improved with only mild symptoms with "no fever, no loss of taste and smell sensation."

He added that the President's throat was clear of inflammation and, most importantly, there was "no sign of respiratory distress or pneumonia."

The President tested positive for Covid-19 in an antigen test Friday, July 8, as he experienced mild fever, nasal stuffiness, nasal itchiness, and mild, occasional non-productive cough. An RT-PCR test was also made on Marcos, confirming his being positive for SARS-COV-2.

This is the second time that Marcos tested positive for Covid-19. The first was during the height of the pandemic in 2020, wherein hundreds of thousands of Filipinos contracted the virus.

"The President was advised to undergo home isolation for seven days in compliance with the Department of Health (DOH) protocol for fully-vaccinated individuals," Angeles said.

Quoting Zacate's latest health bulletin for the President, Angeles said President Marcos's vital signs are within normal limits, and he will undergo "further laboratory examination as may be needed."

The Press Secretary added that the President continues his home medications and is under close monitoring until he completes his home isolation period.

During his virtual message to mayors and governors on Friday, when he started his isolation, the President emphasized the importance of a booster campaign rollout to resume face-to-face classes and fully reopen the economy safely.

He likewise suggested that the use of masks outside homes can become optional once the government is sure that doing so would not endanger the public.

"Pagka maging matagumpay ang ating booster rollout ay makikita naman natin siguro puwede na nating ibaba ang mga alert level, puwede na nating gawing optional ang mask (When we succeed in our booster shot rollout, perhaps we can consider deescalating the alert levels and make mask-wearing optional) ," Marcos said.

“Pero hindi po natin gagawin ’yan hanggang maliwanag na maliwanag na safe na talaga. Dahil although so far maganda naman ang takbo, hindi naman napupuno ang mga ospital. Ngunit kung hindi tayo maingat, mapupunta na naman tayo doon (But we will only do that if it is clear that it is safe. Because even though things are running smoothly and hospitals are not full, we might all end up there if we're not careful),” he added.

If the massive vaccination drive becomes successful, the government could allow children to return to full face-to-face classes and open the rest of the economy, which Marcos said could signal to the rest of the world that the Philippines is opening up for business.

Marcos wants local government units to conduct a large-scale immunization drive for booster shots targeting school children so they can safely return to school in either August or September.