Pence receives Covid vaccine on TV as FDA panel recommends Moderna – live

An early Christmas present for Rudy Giuliani? Donald Trump is expected to issue a wave of pardons today, according to a new report.

Axios reports:

Trump has been considering pardons for friends and allies, as Axios reported, interrupting conversations with associates to spontaneously suggest he add them to his pardon list. He already pardoned his former national security advisor Michael Flynn.

It was unclear who will be included in this batch.

Sen. Rand Paul called on Trump to pardon Edward Snowden in an article for The Federalist on Thursday. A source with direct knowledge of the planning said they did not expect Trump to follow through with a Snowden pardon.

The New York Times reported earlier this month that Trump was considering preemptive pardons for Giuliani, who has served as his personal attorney, and members of his own family.

Preemptive pardons have been issued before, as in the case of Richard Nixon after he resigned due to the Watergate scandal, but legal experts say Trump would likely have to specify what crimes he was pardoning.

Vice-president Mike Pence received the coronavirus vaccine alongside his wife, second lady Karen Pence, and surgeon general Jerome Adams.

Adams shared a video of his vaccination on Twitter, along with the message, “I’ve never been more excited or proud to #SleeveUp.”

Adams is one of several high-profile black health care officials who have received the vaccine in recent days, as polls show lower levels of confidence in the vaccine among African Americans.

One of the first people to receive the Pfizer vaccine in the US was Sandra Lindsay, the director of critical care nursing at the Long Island Jewish Medical Center in New York, and her vaccine was administered by Dr Michelle Chester, director of employee services for Northwell Health. Both women are black.

Speaking last week about the need to recognize the history of racism in medicine, Dr Anthony Fauci, the government’s top infectious disease expert, noted that a black woman was one of the leading scientists who developed the Moderna vaccine.

“So, the first thing you might want to say to my African American brothers and sisters is that the vaccine that you’re going to be taking was developed by an African American woman,” Fauci said. “And that is just a fact.”

Greetings from Washington, live blog readers.

Mike Pence received the Pfizer coronavirus vaccine live on camera this morning, becoming the highest-ranking US official to get the treatment so far.

“Confidence in the vaccine is what brings us here this morning,” the vice-president said after his vaccination. “I didn’t feel a thing. Well done.”

The historic televised event came a day after the Food and Drug Administration’s vaccine advisory panel recommended the Moderna vaccine for emergency use.

The recommendation clears the way for the FDA to issue an emergency authorization for the Moderna vaccine, a decision that could come as soon as today.

If the Moderna treatment is approved, the US will have two coronavirus vaccines in circulation, allowing even more Americans to get vaccinated in the coming weeks and months.

The two news events underscore what public health experts have been saying about the pandemic for months: the end is in sight, which is why vigilance about social distancing and mask-wearing is so necessary until the vaccine is widely available.

The blog will have more coming up, so stay tuned.