Trump congratulates US on administration of first COVID-19 vaccine

United States President Donald Trump on Monday congratulated the world after the administration of the first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine in the country, which has recorded the highest number of cases globally.

Trump took to Twitter and announced, "First Vaccine Administered. Congratulations USA! Congratulations WORLD!."

The US Food and Drug Administration on Friday approved Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine for emergency use across the country.

After that Trump had tweeted, "People working in the White House should receive the vaccine somewhat later in the program, unless specifically necessary."

Earlier, Trump had said that he "was thrilled" about the Pfizer vaccine being approved, adding that the administration had given "Pfizer and other compes, a great deal of money." Trump went on to thank the "brilliant" scientists, technicians, doctors, and workers who made this all possible.

"Pfizer and Moderna have announced their vaccines are approximately 95 per cent effective, far exceeding expectations. These vaccines are also very safe. American citizens also participated in clinical trials that were far larger than normal and had no serious side effects," he said.

According to the latest update by Johns Hopkins University, the US continues to be the world's most-affected country by the pandemic, reporting over 16.2 million cases and 299,000 deaths.

( With inputs from ANI )