White House staff working closely with President Trump have said they plan to get the corona virus vaccine soon, with the first dose of the vaccine being distributed only to high-risk health workers. For two sources familiar with distribution plans.
The goal of distributing the vaccine within the West Wing is to prevent additional government officials from falling ill in the final weeks of the Trump administration. One of the people said he hopes to eventually distribute the vaccine to everyone who works at the White House, but that it will start with some of the most senior people working around the presidency.
It is not clear how many doses are assigned to the White House or how many are needed because many staff have already tested positive for the virus and recovered. While many Trump officials have said they are eager to get the vaccine and will take it if it is offered, others have expressed concern that it sends a false message that it would appear that Trump staff members are jumping on the bandwagon to protect a president. Already recovering from the virus, he is now bragging that he has “immunity”.
The first dose of the Pfizer-BioTech vaccine left a facility in Michigan early Sunday morning, with UPS and FedEx being shipped for distribution to all 50 states. A White House spokesman did not respond to a request for comment.
The White House has seen several waves of corona virus cases. Mr. Trump, the first lady and half a dozen advisers tested positive in late September and early October. A few weeks later, Vice President Mike Pence’s CEO Mark Short and a few Pence staff and advisers fell ill.
A third wave has hit the West after the presidential election dinner at the White House. Like many of Trump’s advisers, White House CEO Mark Meadows was ill at the time.
Mr. Several months later, Trump and his senior advisers staged masked-promoted but never-needed campaign rallies and holiday parties, and the news that White House officials were suddenly demanding the initial dose of a vaccine was welcomed by Democrats and longtime critics of the president.
Tim Hogan, a Democratic adviser and former top aide to Senator Amy Globucher’s presidential campaign, said Washington was “not going to come close to delivering its first vaccine to every health worker, but a White House that had kept the virus down should cut back on the half – year nationwide super spreader tour. “
He called the White House vaccines “the ultimate middle finger for nurses and doctors in the front line of the Trump administration.”
John Uliot, a spokesman for the National Security Council, asked whether White House officials, who have already recovered, would still be vaccinated, or Mr.