UPDATED AT 3:48 P.M. ET
President-elect Joe Biden publ icly received his f irst dose of the Pf izer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine on Monday as the death tol l from the disease nears 320,000 in the United States. Rol l ing up his sleeve at Christiana Hospital in Newark, Del . , Biden told nurse practitioner Tabe Mase, " I 'm ready! " and thanked her for her work with COVID-19 patients. "We owe you big, we real ly do, " Biden said. Biden said his wi fe, Ji l l , also received her f irst vaccine shot Monday. " I 'm doing this to demonstrate that people should be prepared when it 's avai lable, to take the vaccine. There's nothing to worry about , " the president-elect said of his f irst vaccine dose. He said he was " looking forward" to getting the second dose. "This is just the beginning. It 's one thing to get the vaccine out , and now [vaccine-maker] Moderna is going to be on the road as wel l , but it 's going to take time, " he added, imploring Americans to continue fol lowing health guidel ines, including wearing masks, keeping social distance and avoiding unnecessary travel .
The president-elect , who said the Trump administration "deserves credit" for getting the development and distribution of vaccines off the ground, has set a goal of distributing 100 mi l l ion vaccine shots in the f irst 100 days of his administration. growing l ist of pol itical leaders who are sharing videos or photos of themselves getting inoculated in an effort to boost publ ic trust in the eff icacy and safety of the vaccines that have been In receiving the vaccine on Monday, the Bidens join a authorized for emergency use. The federal government has al lotted vaccine doses to off icials according to continuity of government protocols. Vice President Pence, second lady Karen Pence and Surgeon General Jerome Adams were administered their initial vaccination shots during an on-camera event on Friday. "Vaccines are how we beat this virus, " Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnel l , R-Ky. , tweeted on Friday after receiving his f irst shot .
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