President-elect Joe Biden has received his Covid vaccine live on camera. The 78 year-old future president received his first dose of the Pfizer shot on camera on Monday afternoon.

Biden was given the shot at a hospital in Newark, Delaware. He dressed casually in a turtleneck sweater and two face masks to receive the jab. Nurse Practitioner Tabe Masa, who gave Biden the jab, asked the president-elect if he wanted her to count down to help him cope with the needle going into his skin, only to be told that he was fine.

Paying tribute to the scientists who have developed Covid vaccines, as well as frontline workers, Biden said: ‘We owe these folks a lot. ‘The scientists and the people who put this together, the frontline workers, the people who were the ones that did the clinical work.’

Biden also encouraged people to take the vaccine as soon as it becomes available to them. He said: ‘People should be prepared, when it’s available, to take the vaccine. There’s nothing to worry about’ The US has so-far approved two Covid vaccines for emergency usage.

The shots, manufactured by Pfizer and Moderna, are both around 95% effective, and require two injections around three weeks apart. Biden will be the oldest president ever to take office when he is inaugurated next month.

His age puts him firmly in the ‘at risk’ category for severe Covid side effects. All US politicians have been encouraged to take the vaccine to ensure continuity of government and boost public trust in the shots.

Vice President Mike Pence had his vaccine last week, with Vice President-elect Kamala Harris scheduled to receive hers later this week. President Trump was supposed to receive his last week, but postponed his shot. He recovered from a Covid infection in October. More than 17.8million Americans have been diagnosed with Covid, with over 318,000 killed as a result.