March 31

US President Joe Biden has urged Americans to get an additional COVID-19 booster jab after he received his fourth shot on camera.

Biden made the appeal on Wednesday, one day after the Food and Drug Administration authorized a fourth dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines. People aged 50 or older, who got their third shot more than four months ago, are eligible for the fourth vaccination.

Biden said, "We're now in a new moment in this pandemic."

He added, "It does not mean that COVID-19 is over; it means that COVID-19 no longer controls our lives."

The number of new cases in the US has been on the decline after peaking around mid-January.

Earlier this month, the Biden administration announced new plans to manage the coronavirus without halting economic and social activities. 

NHK