On Monday afternoon, President-elect Joe Biden received a COVID vaccine on live television, encouraging Americans to get shots of their own when they can.
Speaking from a hospital in Delaware, Biden said, “There’s nothing to worry about. I am looking forward to the second shot.”
Jill Biden, Biden’s wife, received a shot of the vaccine earlier in the day. Vice President-elect Kamala Harris and her husband, Doug Emhoff, will be vaccinated next week, according to CNBC.
Tabe Masa administered the first dose of the vaccine to Biden. She is the head of employee health services at ChristianaCare Christiana Hospital.
Biden’s vaccination comes as health officials race to inoculate Americans across the nation in an attempt to stop the spread of the virus.
The new coronavirus, called SARS-CoV-2, has killed more than 326,000 Americans so far, affecting large parts of the economy.
Unlike President Donald Trump, Biden was careful during his pre-election rallies, trying to prevent the spread of the virus during the course of his bid, He largely shunned big events and suspended door-to-door campaign activities.
After getting the vaccine, the 78-year-old credited the Trump administration for its work, stating it “deserves some credit getting this off the ground with Operation Warp Speed.”
He also encouraged Americans to cancel all nonessential travel plans and insisted on wearing facemasks in public.
Biden said, “We owe these folks an awful lot, the scientists and the people who put this together, the front line workers, the ones who actually did the clinical work. It’s just amazing.”
The president-elect received the first dose of Pfizer-BioNTech’s vaccine, which was approved by the FDA on December 11. The FDA also approved Moderna’s COVID vaccine on December 18. Both the vaccines are given in a two-dose regimen, with a four-week gap between two doses.
Health officials said they are aiming to vaccinate at least 20 million people in the remaining days of 2020. However, they warned that it could take months before most Americans can receive shots.
Biden went on to say, “Now Moderna is going to be on the road as well, but it’s going to take time. It’s going to take time, and in the meantime — I don’t want to sound a sour note here — but I hope people listen to all the experts.”
Apart from Biden, other senior public health officials have also been publicly vaccinated in recent days, including Vice President Mike Pence and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
President Trump, who was hospitalized with COVID in October, is yet to receive a vaccine.
On Sunday, US Surgeon General Dr. Jerome Adams explained that Trump had not received the vaccine because he was recently treated with monoclonal antibody therapy. Dr. Adams told CBS News, “That is actually one scenario where we tell people, ‘Maybe you should hold off on getting the vaccine, talk to your health provider to find out the right time.’”
