Biden Gets Second Booster Shot
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden received a second booster dose of the Pfizer vaccine on Wednesday, a day after federal regulators approved a fourth shot for those aged 50 and older.
He took the precautionary step as the White House rolled out COVID.gov, a new website intended to be a one-stop shop to help people in the United States access COVID-19 tests, vaccines and treatments, along with status updates on local infection rates.
Biden also took the opportunity to urge Congress to provide additional funding as quickly as possible to ensure a continued supply of the tools that have helped the nation begin to emerge from the pandemic.
“Congress, we need to secure additional suppl[ies] now,” he said, warning there could be shortages of vaccines and tests if they don’t.
“This isn’t partisan, it’s medicine,” he added.
Biden received the first series of two doses of the coronavirus vaccine shortly before taking office last year, and a first booster shot in September 2021.
The second booster dose was administered by a member of the White House Medical Unit.
“It didn’t hurt a bit,” the president said.
The additional booster is meant to beef up the body’s protection against COVID-19 in populations most vulnerable to the coronavirus, which has killed more than 975,000 people in the U.S.
As previously reported by The Well News, the Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Tuesday cleared the way for another shot for anyone aged 50 and older, who can get the additional booster at least four months after their last vaccination.
Severely immune-compromised patients, such as organ transplant recipients, as young as 12, are also eligible.
“We have enough supply to give booster shots, but if Congress fails to act we won’t have the supplies we need this fall,” Biden cautioned.
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