Mitch McConnell says he will receive Covid vaccine ‘in the next few days’

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“Due to government continuity requirements, I have been advised by the Attending Physician’s Office that I am eligible for a COVID-19 vaccine, which I will accept in the next few days,” the Kentucky Republican said Thursday in a statement.

CNN has contacted the other Congressional leadership offices – Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy – to find out if they too will be vaccinated.

McConnell said he was “disappointed to see early public sentiment which shows reluctance to receive a vaccine.”

“The only way to beat this pandemic is to follow the advice of health professionals in our country: get vaccinated and continue to follow the guidelines (from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention),” he said. He continued, adding, “I really hope everyone Kentuckians and Americans will heed this advice and accept this safe and effective vaccine. “

McConnell isn’t the only high-ranking politician with an upcoming vaccination schedule. Vice President Mike Pence will receive his Friday morning, his office 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 vaccine against the coronavirus until it is recommended by the White House medical team, a White House official told CNN on Wednesday. The official said Trump was still receiving the benefits of the monoclonal antibody cocktail given to him during his recovery from Covid-19 earlier in the fall. Once Trump enters a window of time to receive the vaccination, he is likely to be vaccinated at this point, the official added.
The incoming administration also plans to be vaccinated when possible. President-elect Joe Biden is expected to receive his first vaccination against Covid-19 early next week, CNN has learned, and plans to be vaccinated in public. Biden told CNN’s Jake Tapper in an interview earlier this month that he “would be happy” to be vaccinated publicly, because three of his presidential predecessors – Bill Clinton, George W. Bush and Barack Obama – said that they would do it as a way to do it. demonstrate its safety and efficacy.

Vice President-elect Kamala Harris will also receive the vaccine in a public setting, transition officials told CNN on Wednesday, although the timing and logistical details remain open.

The first doses of coronavirus vaccines were given to the American public on Monday, after the US Food and Drug Administration cleared the breakthrough vaccine late last week. The initial batch focuses on healthcare workers and residents of long-term care facilities, as recommended by the CDC, but some government officials should also be vaccinated during the first rounds of vaccines.

Some have already been inoculated: Acting Secretary of Defense Christopher Miller received his vaccine Monday afternoon at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center. Senior Navy Admiral, Chief of Naval Operations Mike Gilday, urged sailors on Tuesday to get the vaccine, adding that he planned to receive it “soon”.

Dr Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said he would recommend that Trump and Pence receive the Covid-19 vaccine.

“Even though the president himself has been infected and he probably has antibodies that would likely be protective, we don’t know how long that protection lasts,” Fauci told ABC’s “Good Morning America” Tuesday.

Fauci also said he strongly believes 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.

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