WASHINGTON: Joe Biden, 78, and Mitch McConnell, 79, received their booster shots on Monday, with the Democratic President and Republican Senate leader urging Americans from all political backgrounds to get vaccinated or receive booster shots when they are eligible for the extra dose of protection.Also Read – Lawyers Request No Restrictions For Ronald Reagan Shooter John Hinckley

The injections, given hours apart at each end of Pennsylvania Avenue, took place on the first working day after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Food and Drug Administration recommended a third dose of the Pfizer vaccine for Americans. 65 and over and have approved them for others with pre-existing medical conditions and high-risk work environments. Also Read – CDC Leader Adds People with Risky Jobs to COVID Boosters List | Deets here

The two leaders said that while the booster doses offer more lasting protection against the virus, they were not the silver bullet to end the pandemic. Also Read – Vaccination deadline arrives for New York healthcare workers | Details here

“The boosters are important, but the most important thing we need to do is get more people vaccinated,” Biden said.

Almost 25% of eligible Americans aged 12 and older have not received a single dose of the vaccine. They are bearing the brunt of a months-long spike in cases and deaths from the more transmissible delta variant of the virus that has killed 688,000 in the United States since the start of the pandemic.

“As I have been saying for months, these safe and effective vaccines are the way to defend ourselves and our families against this terrible virus,” said McConnell, a polio survivor.

Biden received his first injection on December 21 and his second dose three weeks later on January 11 with his wife, Jill Biden. The first lady, who is 70, received her Pfizer booster dose privately at the White House on Monday afternoon, her spokeswoman Michael LaRosa said.

“Now I know it doesn’t sound like it, but I’m over 65 – I wish – much more,” the president joked. “And that’s why I’m getting my reminder today.”

Biden has been defending booster doses since the summer as the United States has seen a surge in coronavirus cases driven by the delta variant. While the vast majority of cases continue to occur among unvaccinated people, regulators pointed to evidence from Israel and early studies in the United States showing that protection against so-called revolutionary cases was significantly improved by a third dose of Pfizer.

But the aggressive U.S. push for boosters, before many of the poorest countries were able to provide even minimal protection to their most vulnerable populations, angered the World Health Organization and some aid groups, who called on the United States to take a break. third moves to free up supply for the global immunization effort.

Biden said last week that the United States is purchasing an additional 500 million doses of the Pfizer vaccine – for a total of $ 1 billion over the coming year – to donate to poorer countries.

Biden answered reporters’ questions about his vaccination experience and the business of the day as a nursing nurse injected the dose into his arm. The president said he had no side effects after his first or second shots and was hoping for the same experience with his third.

Vice President Kamala Harris, 56, has received the Moderna vaccine, for which federal regulators have not yet authorized booster shots – but they are expected to do so in the coming weeks. Regulators are also awaiting data soon on the safety and effectiveness of a single-dose injection booster of Johnson & Johnson.

At least 2.66 million Americans have received booster doses of the Pfizer vaccine since mid-August, according to the CDC. About 100 million Americans have been fully immunized against COVID-19 thanks to the Pfizer vaccine. US regulators recommend getting boosters at least six months after the second shot in the initial two-dose series.