Vice President Pence receives COVID-19 vaccine
Vice President Mike Pence received the COVID-19 vaccine on live TV Friday morning in a move designed to instill confidence in the American public that the newly approved shot is safe.
Pence, second lady Karen Pence and Surgeon General Jerome Adams took turns getting jabbed at the Eisenhower Executive Office Building near the White House.
They became the first high-ranking White House officials to receive the vaccine, developed by Pfizer and BioNTech and approved for use in the US a week ago.
“I didn’t feel a thing, well done,” Pence said afterward. “Make no mistake about it. It’s a medical miracle.”
He added, “Today, Karen and I wanted to step forward and take this vaccine to assure the American people while we cut red tape, we cut no corners.
“The American people can be confident we have one — and perhaps in hours two — safe and effective coronavirus vaccines for you and for your family,” the vice president said, referring to Moderna’s vaccine, which was recommended for FDA approval Thursday.
Adams issued a heartfelt thanks to the researchers who’ve developed the Pfizer vaccine, noting he’s at higher risk for a serious case of COVID-19 with his history of asthma and high blood pressure.
“I am acutely aware of my own increased risk of COVID-19 exposures and the comorbidity that increase my risk of complications,” he said. “As the US surgeon general and a black man, I am equally aware of the symbolic significance of my vaccination today.”
Earlier this week, Pence toured a vaccine production facility in Indiana.
“The last thing I would say to every American is be confident that we have cut red tape, but we’ve cut no corners when it comes to the development of this vaccine,” he said.
President-elect Joe Biden is set to receive the inoculation next week in a public setting, according to CNN, while Vice President-elect Kamala Harris will also get one soon.
President Trump has not yet gotten the vaccine.
Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s leading infectious diseases expert, said Biden and Harris should get vaccinated as soon as possible “for security reasons” and before they take office next month.
Fauci said Trump should also plan on getting vaccinated even though there isn’t enough research on whether those who had the virus, like Trump, should get the vaccine.
“Even though the president himself was infected, and he has, likely, antibodies that likely would be protective, we’re not sure how long that protection lasts,” Fauci told ABC News recently. “So, to be doubly sure, I would recommend that he get vaccinated as well as the vice president.”
With Post wires