First Lady Jill Biden will undergo a procedure at Walter Reed National Military Medical Hospital to remove an “object” from her foot, the White House announced Thursday.
The First Lady, 70, injured her foot while on the beach in Hawaii prior to participating in official events there. The injury did not prevent her from participating in the events, however. Biden visited Hawaii on July 25 to encourage residents there to get vaccinated. (RELATED: Some NYC Unions Come Out Against Vaccine Mandate For City Employees)
“Last weekend, prior to her two official events in Hawaii, the First Lady stepped on an object on the beach which became lodged in her left foot. She will undergo a procedure today at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center to remove the object,” Biden Spokesman Michael LaRosa told the White House press pool.
US First Lady Jill Biden speaks at a vaccination facility at Alfred E. Beach High School in Savannah, Georgia, on July 8, 2021. – First Lady Biden will be visiting a vaccination facility in Savannah, Georgia and then will travel to Orlando, Florida to attend the 2021 Scripps National Spelling Bee Finals. (Photo by JIM WATSON/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)
The White House has not announced how long the procedure will take, but specified that President Joe Biden will join her at the hospital. The procedure will be the first lady’s second since gaining office, having had another unrelated procedure in Washington, D.C., in April, according to NBC News.
Biden himself delivered an address announcing new efforts to encourage vaccinations Thursday. He says the federal government will reimburse small businesses who give employees time off to get vaccinated.
He also announced that all federal employees will be “required to attest” to their vaccination status. Unvaccinated federal employees will be required to undergo testing multiple times a week and will generally not be allowed to travel for work, Biden said.