Vice President Harris received her second dose of the COVID-19 vaccine at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in Bethesda, Maryland on Tuesday.
Harris urged all Americans to get the vaccine when it is available to them, and thanked NIH employees for their work.
“The importance of NIH is that it is about an essential function of government, which is to provide for public health. The work that takes place here has one goal, to improve public health. And the importance of continuing the work that is taking place. done at NIH is it’s not about profit, it’s about the people, ”Harris said.
“These scientists, these medical professionals … have created something that will save your life, and that of your family and the community,” Harris said through two face masks. “It was really quite painless, and it will save your life.”
Harris reiterated President Biden’s goal of delivering 100 million shots in 100 days, a goal that most experts say is an under-promise and far short of what is needed to tame the pandemic.
“We’ll get 100 million vaccinations in 100 days and then we’ll do whatever it takes to improve the health and well-being of our country,” Harris said.
Harris’ husband Doug Emhoff
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Harris received the first dose of the Moderna vaccine at the United Medical Center in Southeast Washington, DC in late December. The medical center serves the residents of Wards 7 and 8, which represent DC’s largest population of African American residents.