Joe Biden says he and first lady Jill Biden plan on getting COVID-19 booster shot

Joe Biden has said that he, along with his wife, Jill Biden, plan on getting a booster shot. He further said that he is comfortable doing so while millions remain unvaccinated because America has “provided more to the rest of the world than all the rest of the world combined”.

Further, he added that the US will also provide an additional half a billion shots around the world within the first half of next year. 

This comes in as chief scientist of the World Health Organization, Dr Soumya Swaminathan, has warned of “even more dire situations” worldwide if high-income countries start administering vaccine boosters ahead of poorer countries without vaccines.

At a news conference in Geneva, she said, "We believe clearly that the data does not indicate that boosters are needed".

Also read | WHO warns against booster shots while US plans to make them available September onwards

The WHO has repeatedly called for vaccine equity and “solidarity” among countries. Dr. Michael Ryan, the WHO’s emergencies chief, said, “If we think about this in terms of an analogy, we’re planning to hand out extra life jackets to people who already have life jackets, while we’re leaving other people to drown without a single life jacket.”

US said that it plans to make COVID-19 vaccine booster shots widely available September 20 onwards. 

The decision has been taken given rise in infections due to Delta variant and also due to the data indicating diminishing protection from vaccines over time.

The officials are prepared to give third shot to Americans who completed their inoculation at least 8 months ago. 

The booster shots initially will focus upon healthcare workers, nursing home residents and older people, among the first groups to be vaccinated in late 2020 and early 2021, top US health officials said in a joint statement.