Sep 21, 2021 - Health

Biden to get booster shot on camera

Photo of Joe Biden wearing sunglasses and a mask as he walks with a binder in one hand

Photo: Saul Loeb/ AFP via Getty Images

President Biden will receive his COVID booster shot on camera once it's fully approved for Americans ages 65 and older, the White House said Monday.

Why it matters: A federal advisory panel unanimously voted last week to recommend that the Food and Drugs Administration (FDA) authorize a third dose of Pfizer's vaccine for people over the age of 65 and those at higher risk of infection.

  • If the FDA clears the booster, a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advisory panel will meet to determine who should qualify and when the third dose will be offered.

The big picture: Biden has pushed booster shots in the U.S. despite criticism from the World Health Organization and vaccine experts who say universal boosters are not currently necessary.

Flashback: Biden received his first jab of the Pfizer vaccine on television.

  • He wasn't alone. Other former presidents pledge to get vaccinated publicly in an effort to instill confidence in the then-newly released shots.
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