President-elect Joe Biden received the first dose of his COVID-19 vaccination in a televised event at Christiana Care in Delaware on Monday. His wife, incoming first lady Dr Jill Biden, received her inoculation earlier in the day.

After receiving the shot, Biden said, “I’m doing this to demonstrate that people should be prepared, when it’s available, to take the vaccine. There’s nothing to worry about.”

Biden acknowledged it would take time to roll out the vaccine and asked people to listen to the experts and to wear masks and social distance during the Christmas and New Year’s holidays. He also credited the medical community for their work on the vaccine and pandemic response. “We owe these folks an awful lot: the scientists and the people who put this together, the frontline workers, the people who were the ones who actually did the clinical work. It’s just amazing. We owe you big.”