Shutterstock
On Friday morning, Vice President Mike Pence received the COVID-19 vaccine during a live televised event. In the event, a doctor is seen giving Pence the vaccine in a shot in his left arm. The vice president notes that he didn’t feel a thing before thanking the medical professional. He goes on to congratulate the drugmakers for how quickly they were able to create the vaccine.
Typically it can take as long as eight to twelve years to create a functional, safe vaccine. However, Pence notes the Pfizer vaccine was created in a matter of months. “But we’re on track here in the United States to administer millions of doses to the American people in less than one year. It is a miracle indeed,” Pence said, likening the COVID-19 vaccines to a Christmas miracle.
The live event was designed to help assuage the fears of many of the vice president’s supporters. During the event, Karen Pence, the vice president’s wife, was also given the vaccine. “Karen and I wanted to step forward and take this vaccine to assure the American people that while we cut red tape, we cut no corners,” Pence stated during the event.
“Thanks to the great work at the National Institute of Health, and the great and careful work of the FDA and the leadership of our president and Operation Warp Speed, the American people can be confident we have one, and perhaps within hours, two safe and effective coronavirus vaccines for you and for your family.”
The vaccine dose given to the vice president and second lady is just the first of two. In twenty-one days, they’ll return for the second dose, which will confer a more robust immunity to them. They were also warned that they might feel some soreness around the injection site, which is common for any shots.
President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump recovered from COVID-19 in October, meaning they already have some immunity from the disease thanks to their own antibodies. However, Trump has stated he’ll get the vaccine when it becomes appropriate for him to do so. Trump is infamously studious about washing his hands to prevent the transmission of germs, making his strong confidence in a vaccine a matter of course.
Joe Biden, the president-elect, is likely to receive the vaccine soon according to his aides. He is 78, making him the oldest candidate ever elected to the office of president. This means that the COVID-19 vaccine is critical for him; older people are at the greatest risk of dying from the complications of the novel respiratory illness.
