Trump Urges Supporters to Get COVID Vaccine, Says It's Safe
Former President Donald Trump is urging people to get a shot of the COVID vaccine. He said he recommended vaccination to many people who don't want to get it, adding that most of those people voted for him.
There is increasing confidence with COVID vaccines available in the market, with 69 percent of the adults saying that they have already vaccinated or got a dose, according to a Pew Research Center survey as reported by AFP News.
The Trump administration was earlier reported to have declined an offer of additional COVID vaccine doses from Pfizer, the Business Insider reported.
On Tuesday night, Donald Trump told Fox News that people were free to decide whether they want to be vaccinated or not.
"We have our freedoms and we have to live by that and I agree with that also," Trump said. But CBS News reported that Trump stressed that the COVID vaccine is great and safe, and it works.
Donald Trump and former first lady Melania Trump were vaccinated privately at the White House in January. Other GOP officials also received a dose, such as former Vice President Mike Pence.
RELATED ARTICLE: Trump Hails Progress on COVID-19 Vaccine, Says It Could Be Ready in Weeks
Vaccination Efforts
According to an NPR report, the vaccine distribution program started in the United States on Dec. 14 last year, with more than 110 million doses administered.
Three COVID vaccines have been given emergency use authorization, with the third vaccine, Johnson & Johnson, being authorized on Feb. 27.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said Wednesday that around 73.7 million people have already been vaccinated with at least one dose of the vaccine. Forty million have already received the single-dose vaccine of Johnson & Johnson, The New York Times reported.
Some experts claim that around 70 to 90 percent of the population needs to be vaccinated in order to gain some herd immunity, which means the spread of the virus eventually slows down as enough people have been protected through vaccination.
Early this month, the White House announced that they would open more community vaccination centers in schools, universities, and stadiums to speed up the vaccination campaign.
White House COVID-19 coordinator Jeff Zients said these centers would help "provide new, more efficient places" for people to get vaccinated, Al Jazeera reported.
Zients noted that the sites would be located at places where the pandemic has widely affected the people. This includes the Oakland Coliseum, California State University, Los Angeles, East Oakland, and East Los Angeles areas.
The Department of Defense, Department of Health and Human Services, Federal Emergency Management Agency, and Department of Agriculture will oversee the vaccination sites.
Meanwhile, CDC director Rochelle Walensky said that recent COVID cases and hospitalizations have shown to be on a downward trend. Walensky, however, warned that new coronavirus variants spreading across the country could threaten this movement.
READ MORE: Eli Lilly Pauses COVID-19 Antiviral Drug Study, Saying Safety Is Top Concern
WATCH: Trump Recommends Supporters Get COVID Vaccines - From CNBC Television