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WASHINGTON: President Donald Trump, Vice President Mike Pence and other top US officials will receive the newly approved COVID-19 vaccine beginning Monday (December 14) as part of a plan aimed at ensuring government continuity, a source familiar with the plans said.
Essential White House personnel and certain officials from the three branches of government were due to be vaccinated within the next 10 days, the source said.
It was not immediately clear whether Trump would receive the vaccine immediately, given that he has already contracted the new coronavirus and has recovered.
It was also unclear whether President-elect Joe Biden, Vice President-elect Kamala Harris and other members of Biden’s transition team would be offered vaccinations.
An advisory panel from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended the country’s first COVID-19 vaccine developed by Pfizer and BioNTech on Saturday as the death toll from COVID-19 in the U.S. It exceeded 298,000.
Doses of the vaccine will reach 145 locations across the country on Monday, with initial doses for healthcare workers and elderly residents of long-term care homes.
National Security Council spokesman John Ullyot said senior officials in the executive branch, Congress, and the judiciary would also receive vaccines in accordance with a protocol intended to ensure that the United States government can continue to operate during a pandemic or a catastrophic emergency.
“The American people must be confident that they are receiving the same safe and effective vaccine as senior US government officials with advice from public health professionals and national security leaders,” Ullyot said in a statement. .
A senior administration official said the administration of former President Barack Obama established a comprehensive “National Continuity Policy” in July 2016.
“This will further ensure that the United States government will continue essential operations, without interruption, for our citizens as we continue to fight this pandemic and work toward a return to prosperity for our nation,” the official said.
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