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President Joe Biden publicly received his COVID-19 recall on Monday afternoon as his administration promotes new recall guidelines that have sparked some confusion among Americans about when to get a third dose.
“As I did with my first and second COVID-19 vaccines, I’m about to receive my booster and do it publicly. It’s because the Food and Drug Administration, the FDA, the Center for Diseases Control and Prevention, the CDC, reviewed all the data, completed their review, and determined the Pfizer vaccine boosters – more may come later, I guess – but the Pfizer vaccine is safe and effective, ”began Biden.
Commenting before receiving a third dose of the Pfizer / BioNTech vaccine in the South Court Auditorium gave Biden the opportunity to clear up some of the confusion.
He joked, “Now I know it doesn’t sound like it, but I’m over 65 – I wish – I’m way overwhelmed. And that’s why I’m getting my callback today. . “
The president has already received his first dose of the vaccine on December 21, 2020 and his second dose on January 11, 2021. At 78, Biden qualifies for a third injection under new CDC guidelines released last week recommending booster shots to older Americans at least six months after their first round of gunfire.
Additionally, last Friday, CDC Director Dr Rochelle Walensky rescinded her agency’s independent advisory committee by also adding a recommendation for a third dose for Americans aged 18 to 64 considered to be at high risk for COVID. -19 because of their place of work.
Biden reiterated the administration’s message that, while the booster shots are rolled out, baseline vaccinations are the priority.
“At the end of the day, you are fully vaccinated and you are now highly protected against serious illness, even if you contract COVID-19. You are safe and we will do everything possible to make it so., With reminders. But let me be clear, reminders are important, but the most important thing we need to do is get more people vaccinated, ”he said.
“The vast majority of Americans are doing the right thing. Over 77% of adults have had at least one injection. About 23% have not received any injections. And that, this distinct minority causes a lot of us, a lot damage to the rest of the country, ”he added.
“This is an unvaccinated pandemic. This is why I am moving forward with immunization requirements wherever I can,” Biden said.
As Biden approached to receive his shot, he made a double return to the podium to put his mask back on, in an apparent modeling of CDC recommendations, before sitting down, rolling up his sleeve and a medical professional soldier administered the shooting.
Emphasizing how easy it is to get the shot, Biden spoke the entire time he got his, answering reporters’ questions as he sat.
“We are helping – we are more than all the other countries in the world put together,” he said, facing World Health Organization opposition to booster shots before some have their first doses . “We will do our part.”
Asked about the week ahead on Capitol Hill, Biden told reporters, “We have three things to do: the debt ceiling, the ongoing resolution and the two laws. If we do that, the country is going to be in great shape. . “
“One thing is for sure. A quarter of the country cannot go unvaccinated and we won’t continue to have a problem,” Biden said, although he deferred to scientists on the actual numbers.
On ABC’s “Good Morning America” Monday, Walensky acknowledged the confusion around the ruling and the categories of people it applies to as the administration encourages the deployment of recalls.
Also asked on CBS about Biden’s comment last week that boosters could be offered to the general population anyway, despite narrower recommendations from the Food and Drug Administration and CDC, Walensky said, “I recognize this confusion.”
“For the moment, our recommendation is addressed to those people limited in the population, over 65 years, high-risk workers, high-risk community occupations, as well as high-risk co-morbidities,” she said. declared.
As to when the general population will be eligible, Walensky said it was reviewed every few weeks but didn’t offer the same optimism the president had last week.
“We are evaluating this science in real time. We are now meeting every few weeks to evaluate the science. The science could very well show that the rest of the population needs strengthening. And we will provide that guidance as soon as we have it. have the science to inform them, ”she said.
The CDC’s current new policy does not apply to boosters to be given to people initially vaccinated with Moderna or Johnson & Johnson vaccines.
ABC News’s Sarah Kolinovsky and Cheyenne Haslett contributed to this report.
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