VP Pence, second lady receive COVID-19 vaccine; Biden to get shot Monday

WASHINGTON (NewsNation Now) — President-elect Joe Biden and his wife, Jill, will be getting their first dose of the coronavirus vaccine on Monday.

That’s according to Biden’s incoming press secretary, Jen Psaki.

Vice President-elect Kamala Harris and her husband, Doug Emhoff, will receive their doses the week after next.

The announcement was made Friday, hours after Vice President Mike Pence, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell became the highest-ranking government officials to receive their first doses of a vaccine that could eventually put an end to the coronavirus pandemic.

Psaki told reporters that Biden would be receiving the shot in public, as Pence did Friday.

She said the Bidens would also be thanking workers at the Delaware medical facility where they will receive their injections.

U.S. Vice President Mike Pence received his COVID-19 vaccine live on television on Friday, seeking to shore up public support for vaccinations as U.S. regulators were on the cusp of approving a second vaccine for emergency use.

Pence said he “didn’t feel a thing” after he, his wife Karen Pence and Surgeon General Jerome Adams each rolled up their sleeves and took injections from white-coated medical staff, becoming the highest-profile recipients to receive the vaccine publicly.

After U.S. deaths from the coronavirus topped 3,000 for a third straight day, Pence called the vaccinations a sign of hope, with 20 million doses expected to be distributed nationwide before the end of December and hundreds of millions more going out in the first half of 2021.

Also on Friday, both House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell tweeted photos themselves receiving the vaccine from the Capitol physician, Dr. Brian P. Monahan. Monahan informed lawmakers Thursday evening that they are all eligible for the shots under government continuity guidelines and asked members of the House and Senate to make appointments with his office to be vaccinated.

In the tweet Pelosi said:

“Today, with confidence in science & at the direction of the Office of the Attending Physician, I received the COVID-19 vaccine,” Pelosi said in her tweet. “As the vaccine is being distributed, we must all continue mask wearing, social distancing & other science-based steps to save lives & crush the virus.”

On Twitter, McConnell posed for a pic after his vaccine shot and mentioned the on-going negotiations for the COVID-19 aid stimulus.

“Just received the safe, effective COVID vaccine following continuity-of-government protocols. Vaccines are how we beat this virus. Now back to continue fighting for a rescue package including a lot more money for distribution so more Americans can receive it as fast as possible.”

Earlier this week, Biden said Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s top infectious-disease expert, advised him to get the vaccine “sooner than later.” Biden has said that he wants to keep front-line health care workers and vulnerable people as the top priority as the vaccine is rolled out throughout the country.

Biden said, “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.”

It is unknown when President Donald Trump will receive the vaccine or whether first lady Melania Trump, who came down with COVID-19 at the same time as her husband, would be vaccinated.

White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany told reporters this week that Trump, who has previously spread misinformation about other vaccines, was trying to send a message about priorities by delaying his own inoculation.

“The president wants to send a parallel message which is, you know, our long-term care facility residents and our front-line workers are paramount in importance,” she said.

The FDA approved the Pfizer vaccine last week, making it the first coronavirus vaccine approved for emergency use in the United States. Shipments of the vaccine began Sunday with health care workers receiving the shot throughout the week.

A FDA advisory committee Thursday endorsed Moderna’s coronavirus vaccine with the FDA’s green light for emergency use expected quickly. Both the Pfizer and Moderna vaccine are two doses.