Coronavirus Covid-19: Mike Pence, his wife Karen and the US surgeon general receive the Pfizer vaccine

US Vice President Mike Pence became the highest-ranking US official to receive the first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine on Friday at a live television event aimed at reassuring Americans that the vaccine is safe. . He celebrated the milestone as “a medical miracle” that could eventually contain the raging pandemic.

Strikingly absent from the victory lap: President Donald Trump, who has been largely out of sight for five days in the largest vaccination drive in the nation’s history.

Meanwhile, Pence has taken an increasingly visible role in highlighting the safety and efficacy of injections, including a visit to a vaccine production facility this week. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi also received the Covid-19 vaccine on Friday, and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has said he will get vaccinated in the coming days. President-elect Joe Biden and his wife will receive the vaccine on Monday, while Vice President-elect Kamala Harris and her husband will receive it the following week.

“I didn’t feel anything. Well done,” Pence told Walter Reed National Military Medical Center technicians who administered the Pfizer-BioNTech injection early Friday morning. Pence was unfazed during the fast jab, nor were his wife, Karen, and Surgeon General Jerome Adams, who were also shot during the televised White House event at the Eisenhower Executive Office Building.

“Hope is on the way,” Pence said later. “The American people can be sure: we have one and maybe in a matter of hours two safe vaccines,” he added, referring to the expected FDA clearance of a second vaccine by Moderna.

He did not respond to shouted questions about why the president was not leading a similar event.

Adams, who is black, emphasized the “importance of representation” in reaching out to at-risk communities and encouraged Americans to avoid misinformation around vaccines.

Five days after the largest vaccination campaign in the nation’s history began, Trump has been largely absent from the effort to convince the American public of what attendees hope will be a key part of his legacy. He has not held public events to announce the launch. He himself has not been vaccinated. And he’s tweeted less than a handful of times about the shot.

Trump’s relative silence comes as he continues to speak out about his defeat in the Nov. 3 election and embrace increasingly extreme efforts to override the will of the people. He has pushed aside the plans of aides who wanted him to be the public face of the vaccination campaign, avoiding visits to laboratories and production facilities to thank workers, or organizing efforts to build public confidence in the vaccine, according to people familiar with the conversations.

The timid approach has been surprising, especially for a president who is rarely ashamed to take credit, said Lawrence Gostin, a Georgetown Law professor who focuses on public health.

“The relatively low profile of the president in Covid’s response since the election is curious and contrary to the interests of Trump himself,” he said. Gostin, who has been critical of Trump’s handling of the pandemic in the past, said he “deserves a lot of credit” for Operation Warp Speed ​​and for betting on two vaccines using groundbreaking mRNA technology.

“Having shown leadership in vaccine development, you should be proud to publicly demonstrate your confidence in Covid vaccines,” he said.

Trump appeared at a “summit” at the White House before the Food and Drug Administration approved the Pfizer vaccine last week. That event included an introductory video highlighting past comments from those, including the government’s top infectious disease expert, Dr. Anthony Fauci, who had doubted an injection was ready this year.

Trump “will continue to update the country through a variety of media while giving medical professionals and working staff at (Operation Warp Speed) the space to do their jobs and save lives,” said the White House deputy press secretary, Brian Morgenstern.

But many Trump aides are baffled by his low profile now that the vaccine is being injected. They see it as a missed opportunity for the president, who leaves office at noon on January 20, to claim credit for helping oversee the rapid development and deployment of the vaccine that is expected to eventually contain the virus that has killed more. than 310,000 Americans. .

Trump himself has tried to downplay any credit that might go to his successor, Biden, who will preside over most of the injection campaign nationwide next year.

“Don’t let Joe Biden take credit for the vaccines,” Trump told reporters. “Don’t let the vaccines take credit because the vaccines were me, and I put more pressure on people than I ever have before.”

Despite Trump’s claims, FDA scientists were the ones who came up with the idea for Operation Warp Speed, the White House-backed effort through which millions of doses of coronavirus vaccines and treatments are being manufactured even as they are still being evaluated.

And much of the groundbreaking work for injections was established over the past decade, including through research on messenger RNA, or mRNA, used in vaccines developed by Pfizer and Moderna. Pfizer developed its vaccine outside of Operation Warp Speed, but is partnering with the federal government on manufacturing and distribution.

Trump’s low-key approach could have an impact on public health. Fauci told NBC News this week that 75-85% of the nation needs to be vaccinated to achieve “herd immunity,” making the public education campaign on vaccine safety even more urgent.

A poll by The Associated Press-NORC Public Affairs Research Center found that only half of Americans want to get vaccinated as soon as possible. Another room in the audience is unsure, while the remaining room says they are not interested. Some are simply opposed to vaccines in general. Others are concerned that the injections have been rushed and want to see how the implementation goes.

Trump, who was hospitalized with Covid-19 in October, has yet to indicate when or if he will receive the injection.

According to guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there is not enough information yet to determine whether those who have had COVID-19, like Trump, should receive the vaccine. Still, Fauci recommended that Trump take it publicly without delay.

“Even though the president himself was infected, and probably has antibodies that would probably be protective, we are not sure how long that protection will last. So to be doubly sure, I would recommend that he get vaccinated in addition to the vice president,” Fauci said to ABC News.

White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany told reporters this week that Trump, who has previously spread misinformation about other vaccines, “wants to send a parallel message that is, you know, that the residents of our facilities in long-term care and our front-line workers are paramount in importance, “he said.

Gostin disagreed. “It will be hugely damaging to public confidence in the vaccine if President Trump is not visibly enthusiastic, even if he receives his vaccine on national television,” he argued. “It is simply not enough to have Vice President Pence as your representative.”

– AP