US President Joe Biden has received a coronavirus vaccine booster shot live on TV.
“The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) looked at all of the data, completed their review and determined that the boosters for the Pfizer vaccine are safe and effective,” Biden said minutes before receiving the shot.
The US president said he assumed booster shots by other COVID-19 vaccine manufacturers can be approved later.
POTUS said he hadn't had any side effects with his first or second jab, and didn't anticipate one after the third.
Biden urged Americans to get vaccinated by reiterating his position that COVID-19 is a “pandemic of unvaccinated”, an assertion disputed by some epidemiologists and other medical professionals.
“Over 77 percent of adults have gotten at least one shot, about 23 percent have not got any shots,” Biden said, accusing those who have not received the injection of damaging the country. "Please do the right thing. Please get the shots. It could save your life."
Biden earlier announced on Twitter that he's set to get a booster shot on Monday and encouraged everyone "who is eligible" to do the same.
The decision was made days after federal regulators recommended a third dose of the Pfizer vaccine for Americans aged 65 or older and green-lighted a third jab for those with preexisting medical conditions and who work in high-risk environments.
The US president received his first shot on 21 December and his second on 11 January, along with his spouse, First Lady Jill Biden.