President-elect Joe Biden says Americans won't be forced to take a coronavirus vaccine when one becomes available in the US. It comes as the nati

Joe Biden: Covid vaccination in US will not be mandatory

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2021-09-09 23:30:07

President-elect Joe Biden says Americans won't be forced to take a coronavirus vaccine when one becomes available in the US.

It comes as the nation's health protection agency for the first time urged "universal mask use" indoors, apart from when Americans are at home.

Mr Biden - who is due to take office on 20 January - also said he expected his inauguration to be a scaled-back event without large crowds because of coronavirus concerns.

"My guess is there'll still be a platform ceremony but I don't know how it's all going to work out," he said.

Pfizer, which says its vaccine has been shown to be 95% effective in clinical trials, and Moderna, which says its jab is 94% effective, have both applied to the Food and Drug Administration to distribute their drugs in the US.

Earlier on Friday Vice-President Mike Pence said during a visit to Atlanta's CDC that federal approval for a Covid-19 vaccine could be "a week-and-a-half away."