US Vice President Mike Pence and his wife Karen Pence on Friday publicly received Covid-19 vaccine shots. Receiving the vaccine publicly, the move was to promote the safety and efficacy of the vaccine and build confidence among the American people. They were joined by US Surgeon General Jerome Adams, who also received the vaccine. Speaking after getting the vaccine shot, Pence said "this week will be the beginning of the end of the coronavirus."
US President-elect Joe Biden on Tuesday said that Dr Anthony Fauci, the chief medical adviser, asked him to get vaccinated against Covid-19 "sooner than later." Biden told reporters that he would get it "by the numbers" and that he would get it done "publicly," the USA Today reported.
The US FDA gave the emergency use authorisation for the Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine last week. The US started its Covid-19 vaccine rollout nationwide on Monday as the death toll in the pandemic topped 300,000 in the country.
ALSO READ | Vaccination against coronavirus to be voluntary in India | Govt issues SOPs
A recent survey published in the American Journal of Infection Control revealed that at least 21.3 per cent adults in the country are not planning to get the Covid-19 vaccine shot. Former US presidents Barack Obama, George W Bush and Bill Clinton earlier revealed they will take the vaccine in public.
(With inputs from IANS, AP)
ALSO READ | Watch | US head nurse faints after taking coronavirus vaccine shot during press briefing
Latest World News