Biden to get fourth shot after COVID-19 speech

President Biden will receive a fourth COVID-19 shot Wednesday following a speech about the pandemic fight, the White House said.

The White House said the in-house medical unit will deliver the shot one day after the Food and Drug Administration authorized an additional shot from Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna for those age 50 or older and younger persons who are immunocompromised.

Regulators cited data from Israel that found the antibody response from the third shot starts could begin to wane after four months. They don’t want older Americans or the vulnerable to risk bad outcomes from the coronavirus, especially if there is another surge, but the jury is out on whether younger, healthier persons should get another booster anytime soon.

The FDA said it is tracking the data and will convene advisers on April 6 to discuss the path forward on boosters and whether a variant-specific shot is needed.

Roughly two-thirds of the U.S. population is fully vaccinated with a primary series of shots and 45% of those Americans, or about 97 million people, have gotten a booster, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Mr. Biden, 79, has gotten his vaccines on camera, citing the need to set an example for the country as he pleads with them to get immunized against COVID-19.

For more information, visit The Washington Times COVID-19 resource page.