Joe Biden gets the COVID-19 vaccine live on TV
The first dose of the Pfizer vaccine was given to the president-elect Monday afternoon.
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Joe Biden has received his first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine from Pfizer
President-Elect Joe Biden received the COVID-19 vaccine Monday, the first of two doses of the Pfizer vaccine he'll be getting. That follows Vice President Mike Pence getting the vaccine last week, along with other leaders including Nancy Pelosi and Mitch McConnell.
Pfizer's vaccine was authorized for emergency use on Dec. 11 by the Food and Drug Administration, making it the first vaccine against the novel coronavirus to be given the green light for use in the country.
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"To the scientists and researchers who worked tirelessly to make this possible -- thank you. We owe you an awful lot," Biden posted on Instagram. "And to the American people, know there is nothing to worry about. When the vaccine is available, I urge you to take it."
Pfizer, which developed the vaccine with German partner BioNTech, said last month that its vaccine has shown 95% effectiveness in clinical trials.
On Friday, the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine received emergency use authorization from the FDA. The vaccine, said to be 94% effective, could begin being administered this week.
"With the availability of two vaccines now for the prevention of COVID-19, the FDA has taken another crucial step in the fight against this global pandemic that is causing vast numbers of hospitalizations and deaths in the United States each day," said Stephen Hahn, FDA commissioner.