WASHINGTON — Vice President Mike Pence is set to receive the Covid-19 vaccine in a televised appearance Friday in an effort to promote its safety and boost public confidence in its effectiveness.
The vaccine is being given to Pence, second lady Karen Pence and Surgeon General Jerome Adams in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building near the the White House.
Dec. 18, 202003:22
The White House said in a statement earlier this week that Pence, who leads the coronavirus task force, is hoping to “promote the safety and efficacy of the vaccine and build confidence among the American people.”
It’s unclear, meanwhile, if and when President Donald Trump will receive the Covid-19 vaccine. Trump has said he looks forward to getting the vaccine “at the appropriate time.” He and first lady Melania Trump recovered from Covid in October.
President-elect Joe Biden is expected to receive the vaccine as soon as next week, a transition official told NBC News.
“I don’t want to get ahead of the line, but I want to make sure we demonstrate to the American people that it is safe to take,” Biden told reporters.
Pence is receiving the vaccine just days after the first shipments were delivered to health care facilities across the country and given to frontline workers and nursing home residents. It also comes as the U.S. has set records this week for daily coronavirus cases and deaths.
The disease caused by the coronavirus has killed more than 300,000 people and infected more than 16.3 million in the U.S. alone.
Source: | This article originally belongs to Nbcnews.com
