Mike Pence To Publicly Receive COVID-19 Vaccine on Friday
U.S. Vice President Mike Pence at the Operation Warp Speed Vaccine Summit on December 08, 2020 in Washington, DC.
Vice President Mike Pence will publicly receive a COVID-19 vaccine on Friday in an effort to boost confidence in the safety of the vaccine.
A source told Axios that when Pence and Second Lady Karen Pence receive their COVID-19 vaccine at the White House, they will do so on-camera.
Pence's office said they would televise the vaccination to promote the vaccine's safety and efficacy and "build confidence among the American people," USA Today reported.
They will be joined by Surgeon General Jerome Adams, who will also receive his COVID-19 vaccine. Pence is the head of the White House coronavirus task force.
COVID-19 Vaccine Confidence Doubled Since September
The move to get a shot publicly marks a critical moment in the fight against COVID-19 as officials try to combat skepticism about the safety of the COVID-19 vaccine.
In an earlier poll by Axios/Ipsos Coronavirus Index, it was found that more Americans are saying they'll get vaccinated as soon as it's available.
More than one in four people are now willing to get inoculated per the poll's latest installment, double the number since September.
Read also: Fauci Tells Americans Not to Visit Their Children for Christmas
"Overall, 27% of respondents in Wave 33 of our weekly national poll say they plan to get the vaccine as soon as it's available to them, up from 13% in September," the poll's analysis read.
It added that 40 percent of Americans older than 65 years old now say they'll take it as soon as it's available - a 25 percent increase from three months earlier.
Trump 'Absolutely Open' to Taking Vaccine
Even though President Donald Trump has not yet announced plans to get vaccinated, press secretary Kayleigh McEnany said the president was "absolutely open" to taking the vaccine, noted a report from NBC News. But whether he'll be doing it in public remains a mystery.
Trump contracted COVID-19 in October and received treatment at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center for four days.
USA Today also reported that Trump wants to see American gets the vaccine and plans to do so himself "as soon as his medical team determines it's best."
"His priority is front-line workers, those in long-term care facilities, and he wants to make sure that the vulnerable get access first," McEnany said.
President-elect Joe Biden to Get Vaccinated by Next Week
One more official awaiting vaccination is President-elect Joe Biden, who may get the shot as soon as next week. A member of his transition team confirmed the timeline with news outlets.
He will also be getting vaccinated publicly. Biden told reporters in Delaware on Wednesday that he doesn't want to "get ahead of the line" and wanted to make sure he showed Americans that it was safe to take the vaccine.
"When I do it, I'll do it publicly so you can all witness my getting it done," he added.
The federal government intends to distribute the COVID-19 vaccine through Operation Warp Speed, the $10 billion effort to fast-track the vaccine's distribution.
Some former officials also volunteered to be vaccinated on-camera, including former Presidents Barack Obama, George W. Bush, and Bill Clinton.
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