For teenagers who chose May 20th to get their first vaccine shot at the Children’s National Hospital in Washington, it was a momentous day in more ways than one.
On Thursday, first lady Jill Biden and White House coronavirus adviser Dr Anthony Fauci paid a visit to the hospital's vaccination centre.
“Our American hero,” said the first lady as she introduced Fauci to the staff who had gathered in the atrium. The first lady was there to help promote vaccinations for young adults.
This followed last week's decision by the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to authorise use of the Pfizer vaccine for 12-15-year-olds – a move that opens up eligibility for millions more Americans.
The Children’s National Hospital, one of the top-ranking paediatric hospitals in the country, is one of several sites offering vaccinations to this new cohort in the Washington area.
Among those who had signed up for the vaccine was the Jackson family.
Skylah, along with her three brothers, was there with her parents to get her first jab.
“Ready to get yours? I’ve already gotten mine,” said Jill Biden as she held Skylah’s hand while a nurse administered the shot.
The Biden administration is keen to maintain the momentum on vaccinations amid signs of vaccine hesitancy among some parts of the population. While 57 per cent of the US population aged 12 and over have received at least one dose of the vaccine, the rate of vaccinations has slowed in some areas, presenting a challenge to President Joe Biden’s goal of having at least 70 per cent of the population at least partly vaccinated by July 4th.
Younger children
Fauci has repeated the message in recent days that vaccines are perfectly safe for teenagers. Asked on Thursday when vaccine eligibility would be extended to younger children, he replied: “It’s coming soon.”
Children as young as six months could be offered the vaccine by the end of the year, he said, noting that studies were ongoing into different age groups. On the question of the US's decision last week to export 80 million Covid-19 vaccines, he declined to specify which countries should be the recipients. "Obviously there is a lot of need out there," he said, but insisted that the United States was "leading the world in what we're doing for other countries."
As she chatted with teenagers and their parents – anyone under 18 must be accompanied by a parent or guardian when they receive their vaccine – the first lady was relaxed and at ease. As she pointed out while she interacted with the staff and patients, she is herself a teacher.
But the visit to the vaccination centre wasn't all plain sailing. As Biden and Fauci took questions from the press, she was asked about a claim in a new book by Atlantic journalist Edward-Isaac Dovere that she had used an expletive to describe Kamala Harris in a phone call with supporters after Harris attacked Joe Biden for his past stance on race issues during the Democratic primary debate in June 2019.
“My goodness – that was two years ago. We’ve moved on from that,” she said, before expertly pivoting to Fauci, who stood beside her. “I mean, who doesn’t love Dr Fauci?” she said, leading a round of applause for the immunologist.
That she didn’t deny the report was noted, however. Jill Biden is famously protective of her husband, physically fighting off a protester who approached him on stage at a campaign event last year. On Thursday, however, she was all smiles, a political spouse who has embraced the role of first lady with gusto.
