Biden gets 2nd dose of vaccine as team readies COVID-19 plan
NEWARK, Del. (AP) — President-elect Joe Biden received his second dose of the coronavirus vaccine on Monday, three weeks after getting his first one with television cameras rolling in an attempt to reassure the American public that the inoculations are safe.
Biden took off his sport jacket and said, “Ready, set, go.” Chief Nurse Executive Ric Cumin administered the Pfizer vaccine at Christiana Hospital in Newark, Delaware, close to the president-elect’s home.
Scenes of the procedure aired on cable news moments after it occurred.
Biden got his first shot on Dec. 21. The virus has now killed more than 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.
The Pfizer-biontech vaccine requires a second shot about three weeks after the first vaccination. Another vaccine, this one produced by Moderna, requires a second shot about four weeks afterward. One-shot vaccines are still undergoing testing.
In comments to reporters after his shot, Biden said he has confidence in his COVID-19 medical 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 because of the pandemic “beyond the pale.”
“The No. 1 priority is getting vaccines in people’s arms as rapidly as we can,” Biden said.
He also said he’d spoken to Senate leaders about splitting time between approving key Cabinet nominations for his new administration and proceeding with an impeachment trial against President Donald Trump.
The House is preparing articles of impeachment against Trump — for an unprecedented second time — for helping incite last week’s violent insurrection at the U.S. Capitol. Biden told reporters he’d mentioned the possibility of going “a half day on dealing with impeachment, a half day on getting my people nominated and confirmed in the Senate, as well as moving on the package” for further actions related to the coronavirus and economic aid.