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Vice President Mike Pence received the COVID-19 vaccine on live television Friday morning in an effort to instill confidence in the American public that the newly approved vaccine is safe.
Pence, Second Lady Karen Pence and Surgeon General Jerome Adams took turns getting stung in Eisenhower’s executive office building near the White House.
They became the first senior White House officials to receive the vaccine, developed by Pfizer-BioNTech and approved for use in the United States a week ago.
“I didn’t feel anything, played well,” Pence said afterwards. “Make no mistake about it. It’s a medical miracle.
He added, “Today Karen and I wanted to go ahead and take this vaccine to assure the American people as we cut red tape, we don’t cut corners.
“The American people can be confident that we have a – and maybe in two hours – safe and effective coronavirus vaccines for you and your family,” the vice president said, referring to Moderna’s vaccine, which was recommended for approval by the FDA on Thursday.
Adams warmly thanked the researchers who developed the Pfizer vaccine, noting that he is at higher risk of developing a severe case of COVID-19 with his history of asthma and high blood pressure.
“I am keenly aware of my own increased risk of exposure to COVID-19 and the comorbidity that increases my risk of complications,” he said. “As an American general surgeon and a black man, I am also aware of the symbolic significance of my vaccination today.”
Earlier this week, Pence visited a vaccine production facility in Indiana.
“The last thing I would say to all Americans is to be convinced that we have cut red tape, but we have not taken any shortcuts when it comes to developing this vaccine,” he said. .
President-elect Joe Biden is expected to receive the inoculation next week in a public setting, according to CNN, while Vice President-elect Kamala Harris will also receive one soon.
President Trump has yet to receive the vaccine.
Dr Anthony Fauci, the nation’s leading infectious disease specialist, said Biden and Harris should get vaccinated as soon as possible “for safety reasons” and before they take office next month.
Fauci said Trump should also plan to be vaccinated even though there is not enough research to know whether those with the virus, like Trump, should be vaccinated.
“Even though the president himself has been infected and probably has antibodies that would likely be protective, we don’t know how long that protection lasts,” Fauci recently told ABC News. “So, to be doubly sure, I would recommend that he get the vaccine and the vice president.”
With pole wires
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