WASHINGTON (AP) – Vice President Mike Pence was vaccinated for COVID-19 on Friday during a live television event to reassure Americans that the vaccine is safe. He celebrated the shot as “a medical miracle” that could ultimately contain the raging coronavirus pandemic.
Pence, the senior official to receive the vaccine to date, has taken on an increasingly visible role in highlighting the safety of the shot, including visiting a vaccine production facility this week. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Leader Mitch McConnell both said on Thursday that they will be vaccinated in the coming days. President-elect Joe Biden expects to get his shot next week.
The American people can rely on it: We will have one and maybe two “safe vaccines within hours,” Pence said after being injected with the injection of Pfizer-BioNTech and, referring to the expected FDA approval for Moderna’s vaccine “Building confidence in the vaccine is what brings us here this morning,” he added.
Pence’s wife Karen and Surgeon General Jerome Adams also got footage at the White House televised event at the Eisenhower Executive Office Building. Adams, who is black, stressed the “importance of representation” in reaching out to communities at risk and encouraged Americans to avoid misinformation surrounding the vaccines.
Five days after the largest vaccination campaign in the country’s history, and after his administration helped deliver vaccinations earlier than some in his administration thought possible, President Donald Trump has held no public events to trump the rollout. He has not been vaccinated himself. He tweeted about the recording less than a handful of times.
Trump’s relative silence comes as he continues to brave his defeat in the November 3 election and embraces increasingly extreme attempts to overthrow the will of the people. He has pushed aside the plans of aides who wanted him to become the public face of the vaccination campaign, avoid visits to labs and manufacturing facilities to thank employees, or host efforts to build public confidence in the shot, according to people familiar with the conversations.
The sheepish approach was surprising, especially for a president who is rarely shy about taking credit, said Lawrence Gostin, a Georgetown Law professor who focuses on public health.
“The president’s relatively low profile of the COVID response since the election is curious and runs counter to Mr. Trump’s own interests,” he said. Gostin, who has criticized Trump’s past handling of the pandemic, said he “deserves a lot of credit” for Operation Warp Speed and bet on two vaccines that use breakthrough mRNA technology..
“He has shown leadership in vaccine development and should be proud to publicly show his confidence in COVID vaccines,” he said.
Trump appeared at a White House “summit” last week ahead of the Food and Drug Administration’s approval of the Pfizer vaccine. That event included an introductory video highlighting previous comments from those – including top infectious disease expert Dr. Anthony Fauci – who doubted a recording would be ready this year.
But many Trump aides are amazed at his low profile now that the vaccine is actually being injected. They see it as a missed opportunity for the president, who will leave office at noon on January 20, to claim credit for overseeing the rapid development and deployment of the vaccine that is expected to finally contain the virus that is more than 310,000 Americans killed. .
Trump himself has tried to minimize the credit of his successor, Biden, who will lead most of the nationwide injection campaign next year.
“Don’t let Joe Biden take credit for the vaccines,” Trump told reporters. “Don’t let him take credit for the vaccines, because the vaccines were me, and I’ve pushed people harder than ever before.”
Despite Trump’s claims, FDA scientists were the ones who got the idea for Operation Warp Speed, the White House-backed effort that manufactures millions of doses of coronavirus vaccines and treatments, while they are still being evaluated. And much of the foundation for the recordings has been laid over the past decade, including research on messenger RNA, or mRNA, used in the vaccines developed by both Pfizer and Moderna. Pfizer developed its vaccine outside of Operation Warp Speed, but is working with the federal government for manufacturing and distribution.
Trump’s restrained approach could have implications for public health. Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s top infectious disease expert, told NBC News this week that 75% to 85% of the country must be vaccinated to achieve “herd immunity,” adding to the vaccine safety awareness campaign. becomes more urgent. .
A survey by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research found that only about half of Americans want to get the vaccine as soon as possible. Another quarter of the audience is not sure, while the remaining quarter says they are not interested. Some are just against vaccines in general. Others are concerned that the injections have been rushed and want to see how the rollout goes.
While Trump sat on the sidelines, some of his favorite commentators, including Fox News’ Tucker Carlson, questioned the vaccine’s safety.
Deputy White House press secretary Brian Morgenstern said Trump “will continue to update the country in a variety of ways, while giving medical professionals and hard-working OWS employees the space to do their jobs and save lives.”
As senior officials begin making plans to publicly receive the vaccine to build public confidence, Trump, who was hospitalized with COVID-19 in October, takes its time.
According to guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there isn’t enough information yet to determine whether those who have had COVID-19, such as Trump, should receive the vaccine. Still, Fauci recommended that Trump take it in public without delay.
Even though the president himself was infected and likely has antibodies that would likely be protective, we’re not sure how long that protection lasts. So, to be doubly sure, I would recommend that he get vaccinated, as would the vice president, ”Fauci told ABC News.
It was not clear whether First Lady Melania Trump, who was given COVID-19 at the same time as her husband, would be vaccinated.
White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany told reporters this week that Trump, who had previously circulated misinformation about other vaccines, was trying to send a message about priorities by delaying his own inoculation.
“The president wants to send a parallel message: you know, the residents of our long-term care facilities and our frontline workers are of the utmost importance,” she said.
Gostin disagreed. “It will be hugely damaging to public confidence in the vaccine if President Trump is not visibly enthusiastic, including getting his picture on national television,” he said. “It’s just not good enough to have Vice President Pence as a nominee.”
Presidents and their relatives have often shown their vaccinations to boost public confidence. President Dwight Eisenhower emphasized that one of his grandchildren was among the first wave of American children vaccinated against polio. In 2009, President Barack Obama and his wife, Michelle, vaccinated both their young daughters, who were in a higher risk group, against swine flu.