White House Staff Members Among the First to Be Vaccinated, Report Says

White House staff members working in close quarters with U.S. President Donald Trump have been told that they are set to receive injections of the COVID-19 vaccine soon.

This will be at the time when the first doses of the vaccine are being distributed only to high-risk healthcare workers.

This was recording to two sources familiar with the COVID-19 vaccine distribution plans, as reported by The New York Times.

Distribution of the COVID-19 vaccine inside the West Wing is done in hopes to prevent government officials from being infected by the disease in the final weeks of the Trump administration.

Starting with this, it hopes to further spread the distribution of the vaccine to everyone who works in the White House.

One of the sources said it will begin with some of the most senior people who work around the president.

However, it is not yet known how many doses are being allocated to the White House or how many are needed. Many staff members have already been sick with COVID-19 and have recovered.

Meanwhile, Trump officials said they were eager to receive the vaccine and would take it when offered.

However, some said they were concerned it would deliver a wrong message, making it appear as if Trump staff members were cutting lines to protect the president.

Trump has contracted the virus during his campaign for the presidential elections. He has now recovered from the virus.

Pfizer-BioNTech's first doses of vaccine left a facility in Michigan early Sunday, with United Parcel Service and FedEx working together to ship the vaccine to all 50 states for distribution.

However, a White House spokesman did not respond to request to comment on the issue.

White House COVID-19 Cases

The White House has experienced numerous waves of COVID-19 cases, starting with the president and First Lady Melania Trump.

This was followed a half-dozen adviser, who tested positive at the end of September and the beginning of October.

Vice President Mike Pence's chief of staff, March Short, also contracted the virus a few weeks later along with other Pence staff members and advisers.

The president's election night party at the White House also caused a third wave hit with White House chief of staff, Mark Meadows, getting infected at the time.

A number of other Trump advisers also contracted the virus. During these times, face masks were encouraged but never required.

A Democratic consultant and former top aide, Tim Hogan, said that White House will not cover every healthcare workers during the first distribution of the vaccine.

"But a White House that downplayed the virus and held a half-year nationwide super spreader tour gets to cut the line," Hogan was quoted on an NY Times report.

Hogan further described the White House vaccinations a middle finger to the health workers and front liners.

National Security Council, John Ullyot, did not comment whether White House officials recovered would still be vaccinated.