Biden gets booster shot of Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine on live television

CHICAGO, United States

US President Joe Biden took a third dose of the COVID-19 vaccine live on television Monday, a quick and routine moment that he hoped would inspire more Americans to get both booster shots and the initial vaccine shot.

"About 23% [of Americans] haven't gotten any shots, and that distinct minority is causing an awful lot of damage for the rest of the country," he told reporters. "This is a pandemic of the unvaccinated."

Last week, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved booster shots for the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine for those over the age of 65 and those who have underlying health conditions, such as obesity and diabetes. Those Americans are required to have gone at least six months since their last dose.

Days after the FDA's recommendation, the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Dr. Rochelle Walensky, then expanded the booster shot eligibility to include workers in high-risk settings and institutions, such as health care workers and teachers.

Approvals for booster shots for the Moderna and Johnson & Johnson vaccines are expected within days.

Biden got his first dose of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine on live television on Dec. 21 of last year, then got his second dose on Jan. 11.

While lifting his sleeve and taking the third shot on Monday, Biden continued to talk about how the US is the global leader in getting vaccines out to the rest of the world.

"We're doing more than any other nation combined" to get doses out, he said.

But addressing vaccine hesitancy in the US, Biden added, "One thing's for sure, a quarter of the country can't go unvaccinated."