- U.S. Vice-President Mike Pence has received the COVID-19 vaccine jab in a live TV broadcast from the White House
- He did so in order to build the American public’s confidence in the safety of the Pfizer vaccine
- After his injection, Vice-President mentioned the Moderna vaccine, which is likely to receive U.S. FDA approval shortly
- President-elect Joe Biden, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, and Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell should be vaccinated within about a week
- To achieve national herd immunity, between 75 and 85 per cent of Americans will need to be vaccinated against COVID-19
U.S. Vice-President Mike Pence has received the COVID-19 vaccine jab in a live TV broadcast from the White House.
During the televised event, Mr Pence, his wife Karen, and U.S. Surgeon-General Jerome Adams received the shot in their shoulders. His participation was done in order to build the American public’s confidence in the safety of the Pfizer vaccine.
Other American political leaders such as House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell will be vaccinated in the next few days. U.S. President-elect Joe Biden is likely to receive the COVID-19 injection as soon as next week.
After receiving the injection, Vice-President Pence commented on how quickly the vaccine had been developed, calling it a medical miracle. He also made reference to the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine, which is likely to receive U.S. FDA approval very shortly.
“The American people can be confident: we have one and, perhaps within hours, two safe vaccines,” he said.
“Building confidence in the vaccine is what brings us here this morning,” he added.
It is vital that the Trump administration reassure the United States of the safety and necessity of the COVID-19 vaccines available. According to Dr Anthony Fauci, between 75 and 85 per cent of Americans will need to get vaccinated in order to achieve national herd immunity.
This may prove difficult, with many Americans refusing to be vaccinated because of ongoing misinformation campaigns.
This has included misinformation disseminated by the country’s own President, Donald Trump, who has been uncharacteristically quiet about the U.S.’s largest vaccination program in history.