President TrumpDonald Trump, who opened fire in Washington state during a violent election campaign, said pro-Trump protesters, protesters and police clashes in DC a day after the election protests spread the COVID-19 epidemic. He said Sunday that White House staff should not be the first in the country to receive the COVID-19 vaccine.
Earlier on Sunday, a White House official confirmed plans to prioritize immunizations for those working closely with the president. The New York Times First reported strategy.
“People working in the White House should get vaccinated a little later on in this program, especially if they don’t need to,” Trump posted on Twitter. “I have heard that this adjustment needs to be made.”
“I don’t plan to get vaccinated, but I look forward to doing so at the appropriate time,” he said.
People working in the White House should get vaccinated under this scheme. I have heard that this adjustment needs to be made. I do not plan to be vaccinated, but look forward to doing so at the appropriate time. Thanks!
– Donald J. Trump (realDonaldTrump) December 14, 2020
National Security Council spokesman John Ulliot said in an earlier statement on Sunday that “senior officials in all three branches of government will be vaccinated following a series of government policies established in administrative policy.
“The American people need to be confident that they are getting the same safe and effective vaccine that senior U.S. government officials receive on the advice of public health experts and the National Security Agency,” he added.
Two sources told the Times that the White House wanted to prevent other government officials from being infected with COVID-19, starting with the most senior staffers closest to Trump.
Earlier, health officials said the first dose of the vaccine would reach high-risk people, such as health workers and the elderly. Pfizer-Bioentech began distributing the first dose of its vaccine on Sunday, with more than 184,000 vials, each with five doses, out for distribution.
According to Johns Hopkins University data, more than 16.2 million people in the United States are infected with COVID-19, killing nearly 300,000.