'Booster' for Biden: US President gets third COVID vaccine shot at the White House

Days after federal regulators recommended a third dose of the Pfizer vaccine, US President Joe Biden received his Covid-19 vaccine booster shot at the White House on September 27, Monday. This comes after the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended a third dose of the Pfizer vaccine for Americans aged 65 or older.

The federal regulators also gave the green signal for booster shots for those with preexisting medical conditions and high-risk work environments. It is worth mentioning that US President Biden had his first dose of the coronavirus vaccine on December 21 last year and administered the second dose on January 11 this year.

Though the First Lady, who is 70, had taken both doses of the vaccine, President Biden said that she could not take the booster dose as she was busy at work. Notably, the First Lady is a professor at Northern Virginia Community College outside Washington.

Have a look at President Biden receiving his vaccine dose at the White House:

Meanwhile, after taking the booster shot, President appealed to the countrymen to take the vaccine in order to secure themselves and their surroundings.

"We know that to beat this pandemic and to save lives, we need to get folks vaccinated. 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," said the US President.

Earlier on Friday, while speaking at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Food and Drug Administration, Biden, on a lighter note, said, "I'll be getting my booster shot. It’s hard to acknowledge I’m over 65, but I’ll be getting my booster shot."

Biden overruled WHO appeal 

It is worth noting that Biden, on several occasions, advocated for the booster dose after the United States battled a sharp rise in coronavirus cases due to the highly contagious Delta variant. While the vast majority of cases continue to occur among unvaccinated people, regulators pointed to evidence from Israel and early studies in the United States which showed that protection against so-called breakthrough cases vastly improved after a third dose of the Pfizer vaccine.

Since then, the Biden government has been advocating for people to get the third shot of the covid vaccine. As the World Health Organization (WHO) has appealed to the developed nations not to ponder over administering the third dose citing the scarcity of vaccines among the developing nations, President Biden has taken the booster shot at the White House. According to official figures, nearly 2.66 million Americans have received booster doses of the Pfizer vaccine since mid-August.

With inputs from AP

Image: Twitter/White House