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President Biden Gets COVID, Flu Shots

Medically reviewed by Drugs.com.

By Cara Murez HealthDay Reporter

MONDAY, Sept. 25, 2023 – President Joe Biden has been freshly vaccinated for three major respiratory viruses that could spread widely this fall and winter.

Biden got both the updated COVID 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 vaccine for respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) several weeks ago.

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

Biden, 80, had COVID in July 2022, which also included a rebound infection after taking the antiviral medication Paxlovid.

First Lady Jill Biden had COVID more recently, testing positive earlier this month. She had only mild symptoms.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is recommending that all Americans 6 months old and up get the new COVID booster, amid thousands of continued hospitalizations and hundreds of deaths in the United States each week.

People should, however, make sure they have no COVID symptoms and, if they do, they should complete recommended isolation times before securing that updated vaccine, the CDC said.

Americans who have had what is known as multi-system inflammatory syndrome should wait until they have recovered from their illnesses and 90 days have passed since diagnosis before getting boosted, the Associated Press reported.

Sources

  • White House, memo, Sept. 23, 2023
  • Associated Press

Disclaimer: Statistical data in medical articles provide general trends and do not pertain to individuals. Individual factors can vary greatly. Always seek personalized medical advice for individual healthcare decisions.

© 2024 HealthDay. All rights reserved.

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