Dr. Anthony Fauci, the face of the United States’ battle with COVID-19, could be a week away from getting vaccinated.
Fauci, 79, is considered at higher-risk for the coronavirus due to his age, making him a prime candidate to receive the vaccine ahead of the general population.
Health care workers began receiving the Pfizer vaccine on Monday, with first responders and nursing home residents being prioritized as the first eligible to be jabbed.
‘I think it could be within a week,’ Fauci said during an interview with MSNBC about when he may get vaccinated.
Dr. Anthony Fauci may be getting the coronavirus vaccine in the coming week or two
Vaccine rollouts are beginning across the United States this week
Health care workers will be the first people eligible to receive the vaccine. Pictured: a UCHealth pharmacist holding one of the first vaccines available in Colorado Spring, Colorado
‘I mean I would imagine it could be within the next week, and then maybe at the latest the next couple of weeks.’
Fauci expects a shipment of the vaccine will arrive at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases sometime soon, if it hasn’t already.
From there, he plans on getting the vaccine in a way that will help improve public confidence in the vaccine.
‘As soon as my turn comes up, which likely will be very soon, I’m going to be available to get vaccinated publicly so that people can see that I feel strongly that this is something we should do, and hopefully that will encourage many more people to get vaccinated,’ Fauci said.
It’s not clear what Fauci means when he says he will be ‘vaccinated publicly,’ but Fauci has shown little trepidation about getting in front of the camera since the pandemic began.
He also may not be the only prominent figure to brave getting the vaccine with the world watching.
Acting Defense Secretary Chris Miller became one of the first members of the Trump administration to receive the Pfizer vaccine on Monday afternoon at Walter Reed
West Virginia Governor Jim Justice also received the coronavirus vaccine Monday
United States Secretary of Health and Human Services oversaw some vaccinations Monday
USA Today has previously reported that President-elect Joe Biden is interested in getting vaccinated publicly to increase confidence in the vaccine.
Former presidents Barack Obama, George W. Bush, and Bill Clinton have made similar pledges in the past.
President Donald Trump has also made that pledge, though it’s unclear when he will be scheduled to get vaccinated.
Meanwhile, Acting Defense Secretary Chris Miller visited Walter Reed on Monday, where he became one of the first members of the Trump administration to receive the vaccine in a video which can be seen on the Department of Defense’s website.
West Virginia governor Jim Justice has already received the coronavirus vaccine.
A new ABC News/Ipsos poll shows more than 80 percent of Americans are willing to receive the coronavirus vaccine.
Vaccinations are beginning in earnest across the country. Pictured: A COVID-19 vaccine is administered to a respiratory therpist in a St. Louis hospital on Monday
Only 40 percent are willing to receive it as soon as they’re eligible, however, with 44 percent interested in waiting for some time to pass before receiving it themselves.
While the push to vaccinate Americans brings hope of the end of the coronavirus pandemic, the number of cases and deaths in the country continues to grow.
There have been over 16.5 million COVID-19 cases in the United States, which hit a grim new milestone Monday after topping 300,000 deaths.
Meanwhile, the United States has surpassed 300,000 deaths from COVID-19