Dr. Anthony Fauci became the latest high profile figure to receive the COVID vaccine on Tuesday. He received the Moderna vaccine at the National Institutes of Health, along with NIH Director Francis Collins and Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar.
"Many in our nation are saying if Dr. Fauci gets the vaccine, I'm going to get the vaccine," a health official in attendance said as the physician sat down and rolled up his sleeve.
She wasn't kidding. Vice president-elect Kamala Harris did the country no favors when she declared at the 2020 vice presidential debate this fall that while she wouldn't receive the vaccine if President Trump said to take it, she would get it if Dr. Fauci instructed her to.
"For me it's important for two reasons," Fauci responded right before getting vaccinated. "One, is that I'm an attending physician here on the staff at the National Institutes of Health clinical center...more important, is as a symbol to the rest of the country, that I feel extreme confidence in the safety and the efficacy of this vaccine. And I want to encourage everyone who has the opportunity to get vaccinated so that we can have...protection over this country that can end this pandemic."
Dr. Anthony Fauci gives a thumbs up as he receives the Moderna vaccine, saying feels "extreme confidence in the safety and the efficacy of this vaccine" and encourages "everyone who has the opportunity to get vaccinated." https://t.co/u4XHEtO9Dc pic.twitter.com/KAFwgbHxV4
— ABC News (@ABC) December 22, 2020
After having received the shot he gave the crowd a thumbs up.
Vice President Mike Pence and president-elect Joe Biden both received the shot in the past week, as a way to assure the American people of its safety. Polling has consistently shown a sizable amount of people are still skeptical to get the shot.
Pfizer became the first company to be awarded an FDA emergency authorization for their vaccine candidate, followed a week later by Moderna.