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Biden receives booster shot as third dose confusion continues
US President Joe Biden has fronted the media while receiving his COVID booster shot
Joe Biden received his Pfizer COVID booster vaccine on Monday live from the White House in accordance with the latest guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
At 78 years old, Biden qualified for the additional shot under new guidance issued late last week.
President Joe Biden received his first Pfizer vaccine shot in late 2020, and was fully vaccinated with his second dose in January.
“Boosters are important, but the most important thing we need to do is get more people vaccinated,”
Biden said prior to receiving his injection.
“The vast majority of Americans are doing the right thing. Over 77% of adults have gotten at least one shot,” he said. “About 23% haven’t gotten any shots. And that distinct minority is causing an awful lot of damage for the rest of country. This is a pandemic of the unvaccinated. That’s why I’m moving forward with vaccination requirements wherever I can.”
CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky on Friday authorised the distribution of the Pfizer COVID booster shots for those in high-risk jobs and institutional settings – a move that overruled an advisory panel.
Booster shots continue to be put in the spotlight especially due to the rise in the Delta COVID variant
Officials continue to question the effectiveness of receiving a third vaccination with Canadian study into COVID variants discovering a person with Delta is one and a half times more likely to die than someone with the Alpha variant.
The research from the University of Toronto is relatively new, but its fresh findings on the threat posed by the Delta variant have been widely accepted.
It also found a person infected with Delta was twice as likely to be hospitalised regardless of their age and the chances of them ending up in ICU were also higher than people infected with any other variants.