Biden Says His First Priority Is Passing Covid Stimulus

President-elect Joe Biden on Monday received his second dose of the coronavirus vaccine, three weeks after getting his first one with television cameras rolling in an attempt to to reassure the American public that the inoculations are safe.

Biden pulled off his sport jacket to reveal a dark, short-sleeve T-shirt underneath and said, "Ready, set, go." Chief Nurse Executive Ric Cumin administered the Pfizer vaccine at Christiana Hospital in Newark, Delaware, close to president-elect's home.

Biden got his first shot on Dec. 21 in a televised procedure. The virus has now killed nearly 375,000 people in the United States — about 60,000 more than when the president-elect got his first round of vaccination — and continues to upend life around the globe.

In brief comments to reporters after his shot, Biden said he has confidence in his COVID-19 combating team to hit ambitious vaccination-rate targets after he takes office on Jan. 20. He also called the current rate of thousands of people dying daily "beyond the pale."

The Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine requires a second shot about three weeks after the first vaccination. For another vaccine produced by Moderna, it's four weeks. One-shot vaccines are still undergoing testing.

Biden's transition team has vowed to release as many vaccine doses as possible, rather than continuing the Trump policy of holding back millions of doses to ensure that there would be enough supply to allow those getting the first shot to get a second one. Biden's goal is protect more people, more quickly, his team announced last week.

Asked by reporters if he's afraid of taking the oath of office outside on Jan. 20, Biden said he is not. He said he hopes the focus is on holding those responsible for last week's Capitol riots accountable.

"I think it's critically important that there'll be a real serious focus on holding those folks who engaged in sedition and threatening the lives, defacing public property, caused great damage -- that they be held accountable," Biden said. He said he believes "the vast majority of Democrats and Republicans" agree with that view.

Asked about impeachment proceedings, Biden said he's had conversations with Senate players about the possibility of splitting its time, perhaps to "go a half day on dealing with impeachment, a half day on getting my people nominated and confirmed in the Senate, as well as moving on the package" for further pandemic response and economic aid.

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