President-elect Joe Biden received his second dose of the coronavirus vaccine on Monday.
Wearing a black polo t-shirt and a black mask, Biden rolled up his sleeve and received the shot.
“Thanks, man,” Biden said after the shot was administered. Biden received his first dose of the Pfizer coronavirus vaccine on December 21. The president-elect then removed his mask to answer questions from reporters.
He said he was confident that he could get 50 million doses of the vaccine administered to Americans in the first 100 days of his administration and planned to meet with his coronavirus advisory team in a video conference later in the afternoon to discuss his plans to speed up the administration of the vaccines.
“Three to four thousand people a day dying, it’s just beyond the pale,” Biden said. “It’s just wrong, and we can do a lot to change it.”
Biden again urged Americans to wear masks, socially distance, and wash their hands to help prevent the spread of the virus.
The president-elect criticized some Republican members of Congress who refused to wear masks during the lockdown on Capitol Hill last week, even though Rep. Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-DE) offered masks to them. Video of the exchange between Rochester and the Republicans was published by Punchbowl News.
“Republican colleagues wouldn’t take the masks,” Biden noted. “I think it’s irresponsible. We all have to make sure it’s not a political issue. It’s an issue of public safety.”