WASHINGTON — President Biden received a second booster shot against the coronavirus on Wednesday afternoon, a day after federal health officials cleared an additional booster dose of Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna vaccines for people over 50 and for many of those who have compromised immune systems.
Officials said that people in those two categories could get another shot at least four months after they received their first booster. Mr. Biden received a Pfizer-BioNTech booster in late September.
Earlier in the day, the White House said Mr. Biden, 79, would be getting a Pfizer shot as his second booster on Wednesday. The president got his shot after making remarks about the status of the fight against the pandemic, in which he highlighted a new website.
Mr. Biden and his top public health advisers have repeatedly urged people to get fully vaccinated with the initial two-shot regime required with either the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines. And they have said that everyone should get boosted because the initial vaccination’s effectiveness against infection from the virus diminishes over time.
In taking the shot, the president is hoping to encourage a population that is already weary of the fight against Covid-19 and over the vaccines. Officials said far fewer people have received booster shots than original vaccinations.
Lawmakers and their staffs on Capitol Hill were informed on Wednesday that they too were now allowed to receive a second booster dose, if they are older than 50 or meet other criteria.
