When Dr. Jill Biden departed Washington, D.C. for a visit to West Virginia on Thursday, the first lady donned a pink face mask as she waved to reporters. 

The face covering was gone by the time Dr. Biden stepped off the plane in the Mountain State, having learned of new CDC guidance allowing fully vaccinated individuals to forgo such measures while in the air.

What You Need To Know

  • Dr. Jill Biden, actress Jennifer Garner, and Sen. Joe Manchin (D) traveled to the senator's home state of West Virginia on Thursday

  • The trio took a tour of a coronavirus vaccination center at Capital High School, where Manchin encouraged all West Virginians to get their jab

  • Dr. Biden celebrated the loosened masking guidelines for fully vaccinated Americans, saying it is a sign that “things are getting better every day” 

  • Garner revealed that two of her three children are getting vaccinated on Tuesday, thanks to recent guidance from the CDC lowering the age limit for Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine

“We just learned as we got off the plane,” Dr. Biden said of the new directive, joking: “And here I had gone out to buy one that was coordinated with my outfit. So you can't win.” 

 

The first lady was joined by Sen. Joe Manchin (D) and actress Jennifer Garner for a tour of a coronavirus vaccination center at Capital High School. Garner, herself a West Virginia native who grew up in Charleston, noted she attended the rival high school in her youth. 

Manchin encouraged all West Virginians to get vaccinated, saying of the new guidance: “We feel free!” 

According to data from the state’s Department of Health and Human Resources, around 38% of West Virginia’s nearly 1.8 million residents are fully vaccinated against the virus. That’s well in-line with national vaccine administrations, as around 35% of the total U.S. population have completed a full COVID-19 vaccine regimen. 

The trio visited with a number of young students getting vaccinated at the center, many of whom became eligible for the Pfizer jab on Wednesday when the CDC extended the emergency use authorization for the company’s COVID-19 vaccine for use in children as young as 12. 

The first lady encouraged every parent and student to get the vaccination as soon as they’re able, saying it will likely make the summer months far more enjoyable.  

“Now, there's a fair amount of misinformation out there, and some of my friends have asked me: ‘Is the vaccination safe?’” Dr. Biden said. “And you all know the answer. The answer is yes. I got my shot, and I promise it didn't even hurt, and I hate needles.” 

Dr. Biden also celebrated the loosened masking guidelines for fully vaccinated Americans, saying it is a sign that “things are getting better every day.” 

“Vaccinated friends and family are able to take off their masks. Businesses are reopening,” she said. “We’re getting back those things we lost for so long: hugging the people we love. I mean, how great will that be?”

Garner similarly touched on the CDC guidance during her own address, thanking the administration — and President Biden in particular — for getting Americans vaccinated. 

“We are thrilled to just be getting back to normal. It's so exciting, I kind of can't believe that I'm standing here without a mask on, looking at maskless faces, and we owe that to President Biden,” she said. “Biden said he would get us vaccinated. And boy, did he mean it.” 

The “13 Going on 30” star also revealed that her daughters Violet Affleck, 15, and Seraphina Rose Elizabeth Affleck, 12, will receive the Pfizer on Tuesday thanks to the recently-lowered age limit on the jab. Her son, Samuel Garner Affleck, 9, is still too young to receive a COVID-19 vaccine. 

“I am thrilled to be vaccinating two of my three kids on Tuesday,” Garner said Thursday, adding: “I don't even know if they know it yet.”