- President Biden will receive his second COVID-19 booster on Wednesday.
- His decision comes just days after the CDC approved additional booster shots for most Americans over 50.
- Biden has continued to test negative in recent days even as a string of White House aides test COVID-19 positive.
President Joe Biden will get his second COVID-19 booster shot on Wednesday, just days after the CDC approved a new round of booster shots for most people over 50.
The president was already scheduled to address the pandemic later this afternoon. Biden, who at 79 is the oldest ever serving president, has also seen a string of his top aides test positive for COVID-19 in recent days, including White House press secretary Jen Psaki. Psaki has now had COVID-19 twice.
Biden continues to be regularly tested and has remained negative, according to the White House.
Biden's speech comes as the White House and Washington increasingly move to resume pre-pandemic life. In most states, cases continue to fall from their Omicron peak. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has said that BA.2 is now the most dominant sub-variant in the US. The latest coronavirus strain has caused cases to shoot up in the Northeast, The New York Times reports.
In announcing the latest guidance, CDC Director Rochelle Walensky stressed that elderly Americans and older Americans will underlying medical conditions continue to be at an increased risk for severe disease if they contract COVID-19.
Dr. Anthony Fauci, Biden's chief medical advisor, has said that the new variant will likely cause an uptick in cases but he doesn't expect a massive surge.
Biden will receive his latest dose on camera, as he did with his previous shots. The White House said that Biden's vaccine will be administered by a member of the White House medical staff.
Life is slowly returning to normal elsewhere in the nation's capital. Just this week, Congress began a phased-reopening of its doors to the public after the center of government remained shuttered for its longest time in history amid a pandemic and following the January 6 insurrection. The White House is also set to hold its Easter egg roll in April, a tradition that was canceled amid the pandemic.