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President-elect Joe Biden received his first dose of the BioNTech-Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine live on television on Monday. Biden said he got the jab to bolster American’s confidence in vaccines.

The 78-year-old incoming president was vaccinated at the Christiana Hospital in Newark, Delaware. His wife Jill received the shot earlier.

"I'm doing this to demonstrate that people should be prepared when it's available to take the vaccine," Biden said on TV. "There's nothing to worry about."

Minutes after receiving the shot, Biden posted a tweet expressing gratitude to the scientists and researchers “who worked tirelessly to make this possible."  He said, "Thank you. We owe you an awful lot.”

He added, “To the American people — know there is nothing to worry about. When the vaccine is available, I urge you to take it.”

https://twitter.com/JoeBiden/status/1341185434408415233

Biden says the Trump administration deserves credit for its work on COVID-19 vaccines

In a rare moment, Biden also praised the Trump administration, which he said, “deserves some credit” for overseeing the rapid development and production of COVID-19 vaccines.

However, he cautioned the public that a long, grueling fight still awaits Americans and the rest of the world.

“It’s worth stating that, you know, this is just the beginning. It’s going to take time," said the president-elect.

Biden joins an increasing number of political leaders including Vice-President Mike Pence and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi who received their first dose of the BioNTech-Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine.

Vice President-elect Kamala Harris and her husband will be vaccinated next week.

Meanwhile, President Donald Trump is yet to take part in the vaccination program.

The distribution of the second COVID-19 vaccine developed by Moderna on Sunday marked another milestone for the United States. The nation continues to grapple with a surge of COVID-19 cases during the holidays. As of this writing, the total COVID-19 cases in the U.S. climbed to 18.1 million, while the total number of deaths rose to 320,000.

More than 500,000 Americans have already been vaccinated, according to reports.

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