“Due to government continuity requirements, I have been informed by the Office of the Attending Physician that I am eligible for a COVID-19 vaccine, which I will accept in the coming days,” the Kentucky Republican said in a statement Thursday.
CNN has reached out to Congress’ other senior offices – Senate Leader Chuck Schumer, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, and House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy – about whether they too will be vaccinated.
McConnell said he was “disappointed at the early public sentiment showing some reluctance to get a vaccine.”
“The only way to beat this pandemic is to follow the advice of our country’s health professionals: Get vaccinated and stick to guidelines (US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention),” he continued, adding: ” I really hope everyone Kentuckians and Americans will listen to this advice and accept this safe and effective vaccine. ”
McConnell isn’t the only senior politician with a planned vaccination. Vice President Mike Pence will receive his Friday morning, his office has announced. He and second lady Karen Pence will be vaccinated in front of the camera at the White House, along with US surgeon General Jerome Adams.
President Donald Trump will not receive a coronavirus vaccine until recommended by the White House medical team, a White House official told CNN on Wednesday. The official said Trump is still receiving the benefits of the monoclonal antibody cocktail he was given during his recovery from Covid-19 earlier in the fall. Once Trump enters a time window to get vaccination, he will likely get his chance at that point, the official added.
The incoming administration also plans to get vaccinated if possible. President-elect Joe Biden is expected to get his first vaccination against Covid-19 early next week, CNN has learned, and plans to get his shot in public. Biden told CNN’s Jake Tapper during an interview earlier this month that he would “like” to be vaccinated publicly, as three of his presidential predecessors – Bill Clinton, George W. Bush and Barack Obama – said they would do that as a way to demonstrate. its safety and efficacy.
Vice President-elect Kamala Harris will also get the vaccine in a public setting, transition officials told CNN on Wednesday, though the timing and logistical details remain in the air.
The first doses of coronavirus vaccines were delivered to the American public on Monday, after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved the breakthrough vaccine late last week. The first batch is aimed at health professionals and residents of long-term care facilities, according to the CDC’s recommendations, but some government officials will also be vaccinated in the first rounds of the vaccine.
Some have already been vaccinated: Acting Secretary of Defense Christopher Miller received his vaccine Monday afternoon at the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center. The Navy’s top admiral, Chief of Marine Operations Mike Gilday, on Tuesday, encouraged sailors to get the vaccine, adding that he plans to receive it “soon.”
Dr. Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said he would recommend that both Trump and Pence get the Covid-19 vaccine.
“Even though the president himself was infected and he likely has antibodies that would likely be protective, we are not sure how long that protection lasts,” Fauci said on ABC’s “Good Morning America” Tuesday.
Fauci also said he strongly believes that Biden and Harris should be vaccinated “as soon as possible”.
CNN’s Daniella Diaz, Jim Acosta, MJ Lee and Jeff Zeleny contributed to this report.
