President Joe Biden Receives COVID Booster and Annual Flu Shot, Advocates for Vaccination Ahead of Cold and Flu Season

Despite having contracted COVID in July 2022 and facing reinfection, President Joe Biden continues to show the importance of prevention through vaccination EFE/EPA/Ken Cedeno/Pool

(HealthDay News) – President Joe Biden has recently been vaccinated against three major respiratory viruses that could spread widely this fall and winter.

Biden received both the updated COVID vaccine booster and his annual flu shot on Friday, White House physician Kevin O’Connor wrote in a White House memo. The president received the new respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) vaccine several weeks ago.

”As we enter cold and flu season, the President encourages all Americans to follow his lead and check with their healthcare provider or pharmacist to make sure they are fully vaccinated,” O’Connor added.

Biden, 80, had COVID in July 2022, which also included reinfection after taking the antiviral drug Paxlovid. First lady Jill Biden had COVID most recently, testing positive earlier this month. She only had mild symptoms.

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that all Americans 6 months and older receive the new COVID vaccine booster, amid thousands of continued hospitalizations and hundreds of deaths in United States every week.

However, people should make sure they do not have COVID symptoms and, if they do, they should complete the recommended isolation times before getting that updated vaccine, the CDC said.

Americans who have had what is known as multisystem inflammatory syndrome should wait until they have recovered from their illnesses and 90 days have passed since diagnosis before receiving the booster, the Associated Press news agency reported.

More information. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has more information about COVID-19 vaccination.

SOURCE: White House, memo, September 23, 2023; Associated Press.

*Cara Murez. Health Day Reporters. Healthday Spanish. © The New York Times 2023

2023-09-26 20:41:00
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