Biden gets second coronavirus booster, urges congressional action

By Michael Hernandez

WASHINGTON (AA) - US President Joe Biden received his second coronavirus booster shot Wednesday, using the opportunity to call on Congress to fund his administration’s response to the virus.

Biden, 79, falls into the category of Americans authorized Tuesday by US health regulators to receive a second booster, including adults 50 and older.

Ahead of receiving his Pfizer-BioNTech jab, Biden announced the formation of the COVID.gov website, which he said will be a "one-stop shop" where Americans will be able to find “what they need to navigate the virus.” That includes free vaccines and boosters, free at-home tests, masks and information on community spread of the virus.

Still, the president emphasized the need for Congress to fund his administration's response to the virus "with urgency" as several programs either risk running out of funding in the near future or have already been scaled back.

"Americans are back to living their lives again. We can't surrender that," said Biden. "Congress please act. You have to act immediately. The consequences of inaction are severe. They will only grow with time, but it doesn't have to be that way."

Just last week congressionally-appropriated funds to ensure Americans without insurance can receive COVID testing for free ran out, now placing them on the hook for bills that could be more than $100.

The funding shortfalls come as virus cases begin to tick up again in the US with the BA.2 subvariant of omicron now comprising the dominant strain in the nation.