US President Joe Biden received the third dose of the coronavirus vaccine at the White House and stressed that it is a “safe and effective” prick, seeking to encourage those who have not yet been immunized. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) gave the green light on Friday to administer a booster vaccine from Pfizer for about 20 million people who got the second dose at least six months ago and who meet a number of conditions. This group includes those over 65, adults with diseases such as diabetes or obesity and workers with a higher risk of contagion such as health workers, teachers or employees of grocery stores, as long as they had previously received the full Pfizer guideline. .
In a White House auditorium and with reporters and cameras present, Biden rolled up his sleeves for a nurse to administer the booster dose. “We know that to defeat this pandemic and save lives we need to vaccinate people,” the president said, adding: “Please do the right thing and I received these vaccinations. It can save your life and that of those around you.”.
The 78-year-old Biden received the third dose days after the CDC authorized a booster application of the Pfizer vaccine in over-65s and at-risk adults. “I know it doesn’t look like it but I’m over 65, quite a bit older, and that’s why I get the booster shot today”joked the president.
“The reinforcements are important, but the most important thing we have to do is get more people to get vaccinated”Biden reiterated. The Democratic president had put the second dose of Pfizer on January 11, more than eight months ago, so he met the conditions for a booster and he did it as soon as possible to encourage more Americans to follow his example.
About 25 percent of the American population eligible to get vaccinated have not even had one dose, which is equivalent to almost 70 million people and is hindering the fight against the Delta variant. “That minority is causing enormous damage to the rest of the country.”, Biden warned about it.
The president also noted that people who received the vaccines from the Moderna or Johnson & Johnson pharmaceutical companies could receive booster injections once the studies are completed, adding that he expected all Americans to be eligible “in the short term.”
The decision of the United States to proceed with the booster doses for certain groups contradicts the requests of the World Health Organization (WHO), which recently asked developed countries not to take that measure until at least December, given the uneven distribution of doses on the planet.
Consulted on this topic, Biden insisted that the United States is “doing more than all the other countries in the world put together” by donating vaccines to developing countries., after acquiring “more than 1,100 million doses” to share with other nations.
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