Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.) on Wednesday personally administered vaccine doses to Arizona residents at a local clinic to help promote the safety of the inoculations as the country faces a fourth wave of the coronavirus pandemic.
Kelly tweeted a video in the late afternoon Wednesday showing him wearing a face shield and mask as he reached into the window of a truck to personally inject a vaccine into the arm of a local resident at the El Rio Health clinic in Tucson.
The first-term senator wrote along with the video, “Getting vaccinated is the most powerful tool we have in the fight against COVID-19, so be sure to get yours as soon as you’re able.”
“Who knows — I might be there to give it to you,” he added.
The Tucson clinic was one of several throughout the state that received additional funding through President Biden’s $1.9 trillion relief package, known as the American Rescue Plan.
The plan, in addition to providing stimulus checks and unemployment aid to Americans, also includes billions of dollars for states and local governments to assist in coronavirus vaccine distribution.
Niles Harris, the executive director of local health advocacy group Honest Arizona, commended Kelly’s actions, writing in a Wednesday press release, “Where most senators would simply take questions and highlight their work passing the American Rescue Plan, Senator Kelly went the extra mile.”
“He personally rolled up his sleeves and gave dozens of Arizonans their COVID shots,” Harris added. “Thank you to Senator Kelly for demonstrating how all our elected officials should treat this pandemic.”
Arizona last week joined several other states in opening up vaccine eligibility to all residents ages 16 and older.
“Our goal has been and remains to get vaccine into the community as quickly, widely and equitably as possible,” Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey (R) said in a statement at the time. “Given a thorough review of vaccination data, anticipated vaccine supply, and current demand among prioritized groups, now is the time to take this critical next step.”
As of Wednesday, nearly 30 percent of Arizona’s population has been vaccinated against COVID-19, with about 2.1 million with at least one dose and 1.3 million fully vaccinated, according to the Arizona Department of Health Services.