President-elect Joe Biden said that he would get a COVID-19 vaccine on camera, and he's stayed true to his word by sharing video of him getting it on Monday.
"What I wanna say is we owe these folks an awful lot... the scientists and the people who put this together, the front-line workers, the ones who actually did the clinical work. It's just amazing," said Biden moments after taking the vaccine.
He also took a moment to once again stress that the vaccine is safe, explaining that he's "looking forward" to getting his second dosage of the vaccine when it's required. His wife Dr. Jill Biden also received her first dose of the vaccine on Monday, while Vice President-elect Kamala Harris and her husband Doug Emhoff will be vaccinated next week.
Upon receiving the vaccine, Biden gave credit to the Trump administration for "getting this of the ground with Operation Warp Speed." Throughout the pandemic, Biden has encouraged Americans to cancel all non-essential travel and to wear a mask to help stop the spread of the virus. He's not the first senior public official to publicly be vaccinated, as House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Vice President Mike Pence have also received it on camera.
"We gather here today at the end of a historic week to affirm to the American people that hope is on the way," said Pence when he got his first jab last week. "Karen and I were more than happy to step forward before this week was out to take this safe and effective coronavirus vaccine that we have secured and produced for the American people."
He was vaccinated at Walter Reed hospital, with Dr. Anthony Fauci and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Robert Redfield in attendance. Donald Trump, meanwhile, wasn't in attendance and hasn't announced when he will get the vaccine.
The first vaccine to be approved by U.S. regulators is one made by Pfizer, while a second one from Moderna began being sent out over the weekend. The vaccines require two doses that will be administered weeks apart. Public health officials have said they plan to get up to 20 million people vaccinated before the end of the year, although there's been plenty of warnings that it could be a while before everyone has access to it.
Biden has gone on record to suggest that it's "going to take time," and that he hopes people will "listen to all the experts" as everyone waits for their chance to get it.
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