Pence says he will receive coronavirus vaccine ‘in the days ahead’

Vice President Mike Pence said Tuesday that he looks forward to receiving the coronavirus vaccine “in the days ahead” as officials work to build public confidence in the product.

Pence made the remarks Tuesday afternoon during a roundtable discussion on Operation Warp Speed with other officials in Indiana. 

“Be confident that we have cut red tape, but we’ve cut no corners when it comes to the development of this vaccine,” Pence said. “I look forward in the days ahead to receiving the vaccine myself and do so without hesitation.”

An official with the vice president’s office said that there are ongoing internal discussions about how and when Pence should receive the vaccine in order to build public confidence in the immunization, which was developed in record time.

The first vaccines were delivered to states and administered to health care workers on Monday, marking a significant milestone in the fight against the novel coronavirus as cases surge across the country. The vaccine produced by Pfizer and BioNTech was approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on Friday. 

Health officials have emphasized the need to build public trust in coronavirus vaccines, as polls show some wariness among Americans. A poll released by the Kaiser Family Foundation on Tuesday showed that roughly 71 percent of respondents would get a vaccine while more than a quarter remain skeptical.   

President Trump has championed the vaccine but over the weekend said he was reversing plans for some high-level White House staffers to receive early access to doses, while signaling he himself would wait to receive the vaccine. The initial plan to prioritize senior government officials was created to ensure the government could continue to function and to build confidence in the vaccine, a White House official said.

White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany told reporters Tuesday that Trump would take the vaccine “as soon as his medical team determines it’s best” but said he wanted to prioritize frontline healthcare workers, elderly individuals in long-term care facilities and other vulnerable populations. Trump was infected with COVID-19 in October and may still have antibodies to protect him against reinfection. 

McEnany also said that some senior administration officials would soon take the vaccine publicly to build confidence in it but did not name any particular individuals. 

“There will be some senior administration officials taking it publicly to instill that confidence, it is very important,” McEnany told reporters at a press briefing. “You’ll learn within the next few days … who those individuals will be.” 

Meanwhile, President-elect Joe Biden said that he planned to take the vaccine publicly, after Dr. Anthony Fauci urged him and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris to receive the vaccine for national security purposes. 

“Dr. Fauci recommends I get the vaccine sooner than later, I wanted to make sure I did it by the numbers when I do it, When I do it you’ll have notice and we’ll do it publicly,” Biden told reporters in Wilmington, Del., on Tuesday.

Fauci also said that Trump and Pence should receive the vaccine.

“I would recommend that [Trump] do that as well as Vice President Pence. You still want to protect people who are very important to our country right now,” Fauci said.