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US President Joe Biden rolled up his shirt sleeve for a Covid-19 vaccine booster inoculation on Monday, hoping to provide a powerful example for Americans on the need to get the extra shot even as millions go without their first.
In getting the booster, Biden dismissed criticism that the United States should distribute more vaccines worldwide before allowing boosters at home.
"We are going to do our part," he said.
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) last week backed an additional dose of the Pfizer Inc /BioNTech vaccine for Americans aged 65 and older, adults with underlying medical conditions and adults in high-risk working and institutional settings.
Biden, 78, has said he and his wife Jill Biden would get their booster dose as soon as eligible.
While scientists are divided over the need for Covid-19 booster shots now when so many people in the United States and other countries remain unvaccinated, Biden announced the push in August as part of an effort to further shore up protections amid the highly transmissible Delta variant.
Only certain populations who received their last dose of Pfizer's shot at least six months ago are eligible for another shot now, US regulators said. The FDA has not yet considered Moderna's application for boosters and Johnson & Johnson has not yet applied for one.
