(Eagle News) — U.S. President Joe Biden rolled up his sleeves again, this time to receive the Covid-19 vaccine booster and to convince hesitant Americans to get fully vaccinated against the coronavirus.
“The COVID-19 booster shots will provide even more protection from COVID-19 for those who are at greater risk,” Biden tweeted. “That’s why today, I got my booster — an encourage everyone who’s eligible to do so as well.”
He received his third dose of the Pfizer vaccine on Monday in line with the recently approved health guidance, which allows boosters for those 65 or older.
“I know it doesn’t look like it, but I am over 65,” Biden, 78, joked.
Also eligible for boosters are adults with high-risk medical conditions and those in jobs where they are frequently exposed to the virus.
Another requirement to receive the booster is at least six months must have passed since receiving the second dose of the Pfizer vaccine.
Biden, however, said the problem is that a significant number of Americans continue to refuse even one shot of the vaccine, fueling a deadly nationwide surge of the Delta variant.
The U.S. leader said 77% of Americans have received the vaccines but this wasn’t enough, with still nearly a quarter refusing.
“That distinct minority is causing an awful lot of us, an awful lot of damage for the rest of the country,” Biden said.
“Please do the right thing,” he said.
About 60 million people in the United States are eligible for a Pfizer booster shot, Biden said last week.
He said people who have received Moderna or Johnson & Johnson vaccinations could get boosters once studies have been completed and he expected that all Americans would be eligible “in the near term.”
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said Friday that data on Moderna and J&J boosters would be evaluated “in the coming weeks.”
(Eagle News Service)