President Joe Biden will receive his updated COVID-19 booster shot Tuesday, and will encourage more Americans to get theirs, too.
NBC News first reported the booster news, which was confirmed by a tweet from White House assistant press secretary Kevin Munoz and in an emailed statement, in which the White House said “The President will receive his updated COVID-19 vaccine and will deliver remarks on the ongoing fight against the virus.”
Biden tested positive for COVID-19 in July, then did so again three days after he was cleared from isolation in a rare “rebound” case after receiving the anti-viral drug Paxlovid. The president was fully vaccinated and boosted, and suffered only mild symptoms. For those who have contracted COVID-19, health officials recommend waiting at least three months after infection to get the booster.
The updated, omicron-targeted bivalent booster has been available to adults and older children since early September, and its use was expanded to children as young as 5 in October. But data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows fewer than 20 million Americans have received it so far — less than 10% of those eligible.
As immunity from previous shots wanes and new variants are spreading, health officials are urging people to get the updated booster, especially those over 65. A study earlier this month by the Commonwealth Fund concluded that a strong booster campaign this fall could save 90,000 American lives and prevent more than 936,000 U.S. COVID hospitalizations.
