 | « Back to article | Print this article |
United States President Joe Biden received his COVID-19 vaccine booster shot at the White House on Monday.
Biden got a third Pfizer dose after booster doses were approved by federal health officials.
"We know that to beat this pandemic and to save lives, to keep our children safe, our schools open, our economy going, we need to get folks vaccinated," Biden said during remarks ahead of his shot.
"So, please, please do the right thing. Please get these shots. It can save your life and it can save the lives of those around you," he said.
Biden received his first two doses of the COVID-19 vaccine ahead of his inauguration in January.
Biden joked about how he is "way over" the age of 65, which is part of the reason he is eligible for the shot.
He said he didn't have any side effects after getting his first or second COVID-19 vaccine shots.
"If you fall under these categories, you're eligible for the booster. Now, I know it doesn't look like it, but I am over 65 -- I wish I -- way over. And that's why I'm getting my booster shot today," the White House said in a statement.
"Boosters are important, but the most important thing we need to do is get more people vaccinated," Biden said.
"The vast majority of Americans are doing the right thing. Over 77 per cent of adults have gotten at least one shot. About 23 per cent haven't gotten any shots, and that -- that distinct minority is causing an awful lot of us an awful lot of damage for the rest of the country," he said.
"This is a pandemic of the unvaccinated. That's why I'm moving forward with vaccination requirements wherever I can," he added.
The US Food and Drug Administration last week gave emergency use authorisation for a booster dose of Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine in people 65 and older, people at high risk of severe disease and people whose jobs put them at risk of infection.