WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden will get the updated covid-19 shot Tuesday after he delivers remarks about the pandemic and the administration’s efforts to get people in the U.S. boosted, a White House official said. It has been more than three months since Biden contracted the coronavirus, which is how long health experts recommend waiting before getting another shot.
Biden will underscore that while progress has been made in getting people up to date on their vaccinations, more needs to be done, the official said. Since the bivalent boosters have been available, only about 20 million people have received their shots, according to data maintained by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The new formula targets both the original covid strain and the currently circulating omicron subvariants BA.4 and BA.5.
Biden administration officials were encouraged by an uptick last week, when more than 4.5 million people got the latest shots, the largest weekly increase since the program launched in the fall. The White House is focused on reaching those at the highest risk of infection, including senior citizens. Half of shots have gone to those over 65, according to the CDC data. Top Biden administration officials have warned in recent weeks about a possible winter surge, particularly as more people head indoors.