Biden Receives COVID-19 Booster, Says US Agencies Determined Shot To Be 'Safe, Effective'

WASHINGTON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 27th September, 2021) President Joe Biden on Monday received his COVID-19 booster shot at the White House and said the relevant US health agencies have determined that the injection is "safe and effective."

"The food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) looked at all of the data, completed their review and determined that the boosters for the Pfizer vaccine are safe and effective," Biden said minutes before receiving the shot.

The US president said he assumed booster shots by other COVID-19 vaccine manufacturers can be approved later.

Biden urged Americans to get vaccinated by repeating his position that COVID-19 is a "pandemic of unvaccinated" - an assertion disputed by some epidemiologists and other medical professionals.�

"Over 77 percent of adults have gotten at least one shot, about 23 percent have not got any shots," Biden said and accused those individuals who have not received the injections of damaging the country.

Biden also said that on Wednesday he will travel to Chicago, Illinois, to discuss why it is important for businesses to institute their own vaccine requirements.

On Thursday, the CDC's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices issued a recommendation for booster shots to be administered only to those over 65 years of age and to individuals at risk.

CDC Director Rochelle Walensky overruled the decision and made other categories who are allegedly at risk, such as healthcare workers and teachers, eligible to get booster shots.

On Friday, Biden said booster shots will be available for all eligible Americans in 80,000 locations across the United States.