NEWARK, Del. (AP) – President-elect Joe Biden on Monday received his second dose of the coronavirus vaccine, three weeks after getting his first one with television cameras rolling in an attempt to to reassure the American public that the inoculations are safe.
Biden pulled off his sport jacket to reveal a dark, short-sleeve T-shirt underneath and said, “Ready, set, go.” Chief Nurse Executive Ric Cumin administered the Pfizer vaccine at Christiana Hospital in Newark, Delaware, close to president-elect’s home.
Scenes of the procedure aired on cable news moments after it occurred.
Biden got his first shot on Dec. 21 in a televised procedure. The virus has now killed nearly 375,000 people in the United States – about 60,000 more than when the president-elect got his first round of vaccination – and continues to upend life around the globe.
In brief comments to reporters after his shot, Biden said he has confidence in his COVID-19 combating team to hit ambitious vaccination-rate targets after he takes office on Jan. 20. He also called the current rate of thousands of people dying daily “beyond the pale.”