'Nothing to Worry About,' Biden Says as He Gets His Shot

Trump deserves some credit, president-elect says
By Bob Cronin,  Newser Staff
Posted Dec 21, 2020 3:36 PM CST
'Nothing to Worry About,' Biden Says as He Gets His Shot
President-elect Joe Biden receives a shot Monday from nurse practitioner Tabe Mase.   (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

President-elect Joe Biden took his first dose of coronavirus vaccine on Monday, thanking health care workers and expressing confidence in the process. Nurse practitioner Tabe Mase put the needle in Biden's left arm, on live television, at Christiana Hospital in Newark, Delaware. "We owe these folks an awful lot," Biden said of health care workers and the scientists and others who have developed the vaccines, CNN reports. "There's nothing to worry about," he said afterward. "I'm looking forward to the second shot; so is Jill." His wife, Jill, had received her shot earlier in the day; he joked about her love of shots. Vice President Mike Pence has his shot Friday. President Trump has not received a dose yet.

The president-elect acknowledged the role of Trump's administration in developing and distributing vaccines, per the Washington Post. "I think the administration deserves some credit in getting this off the ground with Operation Warp Speed," Biden said. "And I also think that it's worth saying that this is great hope. I’m doing this to demonstrate that people should be prepared, when it's available, to take the vaccination." He also urged patience, saying the vaccine rollout is just beginning. "It's going to take time," he said. In the meantime, Biden urged Americans to heed the advice of public health experts by wearing masks, socially distancing, and avoiding travel over the holidays. "Because we're still in the thick of this," he said. (A federal panel has set recommended priorities for administering vaccinations.)

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