Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) received his booster shot for the coronavirus on Monday, just hours after President Joe Biden, referring to it as an “easy decision.”
Speaking on the U.S. Senate floor, the 79-year-old McConnell said he was “glad” to receive the booster shot after consulting with professionals. McConnell said:
I’m glad to share that a few minutes ago, I received a booster vaccination for COVID-19. All throughout the pandemic, I have followed the best advice from experts and especially from my own health care providers. It was an easy decision to receive a booster.
McConnell further touted the effectiveness of the vaccines, hailing them as the only way to “stay on offense” against the coronavirus.
“Mountains of evidence tell us these shots are safe, effective, and dramatically shrink the odds of severe disease or death from COVID,” he said, adding:
Like I have been saying for months, these safe and effective vaccines are the way to defend ourselves and our families from this terrible virus. They’re also how we stay on offense against COVID as a country. All Americans should speak with their doctors and get vaccinated.
McConnell’s reception of the booster shot comes nearly a week after the the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved Pfizer coronavirus booster shots for Americans 65 and older as well as Americans at high risk of a severe reaction to the virus. The authorization came after the FDA rejected the Biden administration’s plan to have sweeping booster shots for all Americans and applied only to the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine; potential booster shots for the Moderna and Johnson & Johnson vaccines will be decided on at a later date.
President Biden also received his coronavirus booster shot at the White House while on camera earlier Monday, during which he said that more Americans must get vaccinated to end the pandemic
“I think we’re getting awful close but I’m not the scientist,” Biden said. “But one thing is for sure: A quarter of the country cannot go unvaccinated and us not have a problem.”
Biden made his proclamation just after the country of Norway celebrated the end of coronavirus restrictions, which, according to the latest statistics, has an overall full vaccination rate of 67.7 percent, while the U.S. has a full vaccination rate of 55.9 percent.
“We shall not have strict (coronavirus) measures unless they are professionally justified. People must be allowed to live as they wish,” Norway Prime Minister Erna Solberg told reporters on Saturday.