Lawmakers on both sides are beginning to deny early access to the COVID-19 vaccine, saying they refuse to receive the first of two shots until all front-line health workers and the elderly are vaccinated.
“I’m not saying there’s any kind of aversion to it. It’s just a personal stance that if you’re a leader, eat last,” R-Fla representative Brian Mast told The Hill. “Symbols are important in life. The powerful symbol can be, ‘Listen, we’ll make sure we take care of people first.’
Mast joins a small but growing number of lawmakers, including representatives Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., Tulsi Gabbard, D-Hawaii, and Jeff Van Drew, RN.J., as well as elected representative Nancy Mace, RS .C., And Senator Rand Paul, R-Ky., In announcing that they reject a vaccine that is offered under the continuity of government practices.
Several other legislators have obtained or will obtain the first of two doses of the COVID-19 vaccine and encourage other people to receive their shots as well, but other officials are concerned about how they feel about shooting before they are widely available to the public. public.
Last week, the Capitol Medical Office received the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine for lawmakers. The doses have been or are being handled by officials of the executive branch and the Supreme Court. Vice President Mike Pence and President-elect Joe Biden have already been publicly vaccinated.
One of the two legislators in the line of presidential succession, the president of the chamber, Nancy Pelosi, has been vaccinated. Senator Chuck Grassley, the pro tempore president, says he plans to get it.
Other congressional leaders, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer also received the first doses and shared the experience on social media.
Several grassroots members have also gotten their shots, including Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, DN.Y., who later tweeted about it to her nearly 11 million followers on Twitter.
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