How First Lady Jill Biden Passed the Time While Isolating with COVID-19

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Dr. Jill Biden is feeling back to normal after coming down with COVID-19 in August — but during her recovery, she spent her days simply trying to pass the time until she could re-enter the world.

In a Tuesday interview on the Today show, the first lady, 71, reflected on the period she spent isolating from everyone — including her husband, President Joe Biden. She got the virus shortly after the president recovered from his own mild bout of it, meaning the two were forced to distance from one another for a significant chunk of time this summer.

During her isolation, she did what one might expect of an English teacher: read, read, read.

"I love to read, so I was reading so many books, articles that I could use in my class," Biden said, then admitting her other go-to pastime: "And I watched a lot of Netflix."

"Like every other American who had to isolate, you had to find a way to keep yourself busy," she added.

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While separated from the president, she tried to stay in close touch — schedules permitting. "We were calling each other constantly, texting," she said. "He got it first and then he had to isolate, and then I got it after, so we were apart for maybe, I don't know, 20 days or something."

Fortunately, her symptoms were mild throughout and she has now been able to resume her busy life, just in time for the start of a new school year.

"I'm feeling great, really," she told NBC News correspondent Sheinelle Jones. "I mean I feel better, I'm in the classroom, I'm back to work. And so I feel good."

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And being on her A-game right now is particularly important, as the first lady helps prepare for granddaughter Naomi Biden's upcoming White House wedding.

"We're taking [the process of planning] slowly, and I've been in most of the meetings and watched her blossom," Biden said of Naomi. "And really, there's just such joy about it, and I cannot wait."

The presidential granddaughter — whose parents are Hunter Biden and his ex-wife Kathleen Buhle — announced her engagement to Peter Neal in September 2021. The wedding is scheduled to take place Nov. 19 on the South Lawn, with the president and first lady taking charge of hosting the reception.