US President-elect Joe Biden on Monday received the first dose of the coronavirus vaccine in an event telecasted live on television. He administered Pfizer BioNTech’s coronavirus vaccine, which was approved by the US Food and Drug Administration for emergency use earlier this month.
After Biden, his wife Jill was also vaccinated with the first shot of the vaccine, the local news reported.
“What I want to say is we owe these folks an awful lot,” Biden, wearing a black mask, said after getting the shot at ChristianaCare Hospital in Newark, Delaware. “The scientists and the people who put this together, the front line workers, the people who were the ones who actually did the clinical work, it’s just amazing. I wish we had time to take you through the whole hospital to see how busy and incredible you all are. And we owe you big. We really do.”
“I’m looking forward to the second shot. So is Jill,” Biden, who will take over White House on January 20, said.
Biden, who is considered in the high-risk age category for Covid-19, also shared a picture on Twitter wherein he was seen receiving the vaccine shot. “Today, I received the COVID-19 vaccine. To the scientists and researchers who worked tirelessly to make this possible — thank you. We owe you an awful lot. And to the American people — know there is nothing to worry about. When the vaccine is available, I urge you to take it,” he wrote on Twitter.
According to Biden’s transition team, Vice President-elect Kamala Harris will receive the vaccine shot next week.
Earlier, Vice President Mike Pence, wife Karen Pence and Surgeon General Jerome Adams, were administered the vaccine Friday.
Meanwhile, Covid-19 cases and deaths in the United States have soared high during the ongoing holiday season, with total infections 18 million and death toll around 3,18,600, as reported by Johns Hopkins University.
