President Joe Biden received an updated COVID-19 vaccine on Tuesday as part of campaign to boost the number of Americans getting the shots.
“Update your covid vaccine. It's incredibly effective,” said Biden. "The truth is not enough people are getting it. We have to change that so we can all have a safe and healthy holiday season. That’s why I’m getting my shot updated today.”
“New variants have emerged in the US and around the world. We continue to see cases of hospitalizations rise in Europe in recent weeks. The weather is getting colder. People spend more time indoors and contagious viruses, like COVID, will spread more easily,” Biden added.
The president said that the country has a choice to make: “Can we repeat what happened this past winter? More infections, more hospitalizations, where loved ones can be sick and even die from the virus? Or can we have a much better one. We need to use all the tools available to us now. Let's start with a COVID updated vaccine.”
Biden described the new vaccines as “a giant step forward.”
“Omicron did not exist when the first vaccine against COVID was developed. We are especially fortunate in the United States. The Biden administration made sure we were the first country in the world to have vaccines that target the most common COVID strain.”
“Over 20 million of our fellow Americans have already gotten the shot,” Biden said. “I'm calling on all Americans to get the shot as soon as they can. The old vaccine will not give you maximum protection. Let me be as plain as i can. We have hundreds of people dying each day from COVID in this country, that number is likely to rise. This year is different than the past. This year nearly every death is preventable.”