Donald Trump, Mike Pence, Congress, Supreme Court will be offered COVID-19 vaccine in coming days, officials say
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump, Vice President Mike Pence and other top federal office-holders will be offered COVID-19 vaccines over the next week-and-a-half to guard against an outbreak that could cripple the functions of government, officials said Sunday.
The shots will be offered to officials across all three branches of government, including leaders at the White House, in Congress, and on the Supreme Court, officials said. White House staff members who work in close proximity to Trump are also expected to get early vaccines.
Dozens of staffers and visitors to the White House have tested positive for the virus throughout the pandemic, including the president.
Two government officials confirmed the vaccination plan, speaking on condition of anonymity because details on who, when, and where are still being worked out. They said the plan will roll out over the next 10 days.
One goal of the program is to build public confidence in the vaccine.
Former presidents Barack Obama, George W. Bush, and Bill Clinton have volunteered to take vaccines as a show of confidence. It is unclear when, or even if, Trump will receive a vaccination; the president was diagnosed with COVID-19 in October. But aides have said Trump is willing to take the vaccine in public to build public confidence in the medicine.
In a Sunday night tweet, Trump said he was not “scheduled” to get the vaccine but “look forward to doing so at the appropriate time.”
It was not clear if President-elect Joe Biden, Vice President-elect Kamala Harris and other members of Biden’s transition team would be offered vaccinations during the early rollout.
Biden aides said they did not know how soon he would be vaccinated, but noted he had also volunteered to take the shots publicly.
“It’s important to communicate to the American people it’s safe,” Biden told CNN recently. “It’s safe to do this.”
The Food and Drug Administration on Friday approved a vaccine developed by Pfizer. On Sunday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention formally announced that it had signed the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices’ recommendation of the first authorized coronavirus vaccine as the first doses rolled out on trucks from a Pfizer manufacturing plant in Kalamazoo, Michigan.
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During an interview with ABC News’ “This Week,” FDA Commissioner Stephen Hahn said, “Obviously, with the supply that we have right now” there is “likely going to be a very targeted approach” to distributing the vaccine.
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Skeptics questioned whether Trump and his staffers should get priority, saying they downplayed the threat of the virus by discouraging mask wearing and holding crowded public events.
“So the place that eschewed masks for months and organized mass rallies and WH superspreader events is going to vaccinate their staffers before we can vaccinate all of our first responders? That’s some serious chutzpah,” tweeted Jonathan Reiner, professor of medicine and surgery at George Washington University.
