President-elect Joe Biden is publicly receiving his first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine in a bid to instill confidence in the vaccine once it becomes widely available.
The former vice president traveled to Christiana Hospital on Monday to be administered his first dose of the vaccine. Speaking to reporters, he said, “We owe these folks a lot. The scientists and the people who put this together, the frontline workers, the people who were the ones that did the clinical work. It’s just amazing.”
“One of the things is that I think the [Trump] administration deserves some credit getting this off the ground, Operation Warp speed,” he continued.
Finally, he said, “I also think that it’s worth saying that there’s great hope. I’m doing this to demonstrate that people should be prepared, when it’s available, to take the vaccine.”
Watch the moment below:
Joe Biden gets a coronavirus vaccine shot, then says, "We owe these folks a lot. The scientists and the people who put this together, the frontline workers, the people what were the ones that did the clinical work." pic.twitter.com/b3ieZTjxn1
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) December 21, 2020
Vice President Mike Pence received his first dose of the vaccine on television on Friday, as IJR reported.
“We’re gathered here today at the end of a historic week to affirm to the American people that hope is on the way,” Pence said, adding, “I also believe that history will record that this week was the beginning of the end of the coronavirus pandemic. But with cases rising across the country, with hospitalizations rising across the country, we have a ways to go.”
Despite voicing skepticism about a potential coronavirus vaccine developed while Trump is in office, Biden vowed that he would be publicly vaccinated if scientists determined that it was safe.
During an interview on CNN earlier this month, he said, “It matters what a president and a vice president do. And so I think that my three predecessors have set the model as to what should be done.”
“Saying, once it’s declared to be safe … I think what [former President Barack Obama] said, once Fauci says it’s clear — that’s my measure — then obviously we take it.”
He added, “It’s important to communicate to the American people it’s safe. It’s safe to do this.”
Earlier this month, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the distribution of Pfizer’s coronavirus vaccine. The agency also gave the green light for the distribution of Moderna’s vaccine to begin.