Biden thanks Fox News, Republicans for changing vaccine tune

"I think once the realization occurred that this virus was only killing primarily those people who had not been vaccinated, I think it was sort of, as we Catholics say, a bit of an epiphany for them," he told reporters after participating in a CNN town hall event in Ohio.

Fox News commentators Tucker Carlson and Laura Ingraham, as well as other news program hosts, have often cast doubt on the vaccine's safety and efficacy to the conservative network's millions of viewers.

But this week, some hosts - such as Sean Hannity and Steve Doocy - encouraged viewers to protect themselves, amid rising COVID-19 cases, by getting vaccinated as quickly as possible.

Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell this week also implored people to do the same.