President Joe Biden receives his updated COVID-19 booster on October 25, 2022. Photo: Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images
President Biden on Tuesday received an updated COVID-19 booster shot while calling on all Americans to do the same ahead of a potentially troubling COVID winter.
Why it matters: Over 20 million Americans received the updated COVID vaccine so far, but the White House is pushing more Americans to get their boosters.
What he said: Biden said at a press briefing before the shot Tuesday there will be fewer infections, hospitalizations, and "loved ones getting sick" if the country uses "all the tools we have available to us."
- "Virtually every COVID death in America is preventable," he said.
- "Your old vaccine or your previous COVID infection will not give you maximum protection," Biden said.
- The president said Americans should get their COVID boosters before Halloween "that way you can be protected for holidays."
The big picture: Biden emphasized the need to get a COVID-19 booster shot as the White House monitors a potential winter surge from various rising Omicron variants.
- The president has been treading lightly over pandemic messaging over fears of creating voter frustration about COVID-19 and public health with the midterms around the corner.