Vice President Mike Pence and the second lady, Karen Pence were among the first Americans to receive an initial dose of Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine on Friday, and did so in a live on-camera event at the White House.
Surgeon General Jerome Adams also received the COVID-19 vaccine during Friday's event.
Prior to injections, doctors asked the trio a series of questions regarding COVID-19 symptoms, allergy history and histories of blood disorders. After the three answered "no" to all questions, healthcare professionals from Walter Reed Medical Center administered the vaccine.
"I didn't feel a thing. Well done," Pence said.
In remarks following his injection, Pence said he decided to take the vaccine in a public event to improve public confidence.
"While we cut red tape, we did not cut corners," Pence said.
Pence also added that thanks to vaccines, the U.S. was now "turning the corner" on the pandemic and that the country could now see the "light at the end of the tunnel."
The shot the Pences received Friday is the first of a two-shot vaccination. They'll need to take a booster shot in a few weeks in order to complete the inoculation process.
President-elect Joe Biden has also said he would receive the vaccine "sooner rather than later," adding that he didn't want to "get ahead of the line, but I want to make sure we demonstrate to the American people that it is safe to take."
Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation's top expert on infectious diseases, has recommended that President Donald Trump also get the vaccine.
"You still want to protect people who are, you know, very important to our country right now," Fauci said Tuesday on ABC. "Even though the President himself was infected and he has likely antibodies that likely would be protective, we're not sure how long that protection lasts."
Former Presidents Barack Obama, George W. Bush and Bill Clinton have all separately agreed to take the COVID-19 vaccine on camera in an effort to build public trust in the process.
Pence is among the first Americans to receive the vaccine. Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine was cleared for Emergency Use Authorization last Friday and formally recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention last weekend. Healthcare workers in several states began receiving the vaccine on Monday.
A vaccine made by Moderna received a key recommendation by an FDA panel on Thursday, and the agency is expected to grant full approval in the coming days.
On Friday, Pence said he "expects" that Moderna vaccine would be approved at some point Friday. The Moderna vaccine could be distributed as soon as early next week.
