Nancy Pelosi and Mitch McConnell say they will be getting the Covid vaccine in the coming days

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“With confidence in the vaccine and under the direction of the treating physician, I plan to receive the vaccine in the coming days,” Pelosi said in a statement.

McConnell, meanwhile, said in his statement that due to government continuity requirements, “I have been informed by the Office of the Attending Physician that I am a candidate for a COVID-19 vaccine, which I will accept in the coming days.”

CNN has contacted the offices of other congressional leaders – Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy – about whether they, too, will be vaccinated.

According to a memo from Capitol’s attending physician Brian Monahan and a press release from Pelosi, all members of Congress are eligible for the Covid-19 vaccine.

“I have been informed by the National Security Council that in accordance with Presidential Policy Directive 40 (2016), Congress and the Supreme Court, along with executive agencies, will receive a specific number of COVID19 vaccine doses to meet long-standing continuity requirements of government operations. Those requirements target critical operations and personnel, ”Monahan wrote.

The physician’s memo to all members and staff asks members of Congress to make an appointment and also states, “Once we have completed the members’ vaccination, we will follow a process to identify the essentials for continuity. staff in the various divisions of the Capitol community in the coming weeks. The nomination process will then continue until the supply of small vaccines is exhausted. A second dose planning process will begin later.

Rep. Katie Porter is in quarantine after being exposed to the coronavirus

“My recommendation to you is absolutely unequivocal: there is no reason why you should delay the administration of this vaccine. The benefit far outweighs any minor risk,” Monahan wrote.

McConnell said he was “disappointed at the early public sentiment showing some reluctance to get a vaccine.”

“The only way to beat this pandemic is to follow the advice of our country’s health professionals: Get vaccinated and stick to guidelines (US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention),” he continued, adding: ” I really hope everyone Kentuckians and Americans will listen to this advice and accept this safe and effective vaccine. ”

McConnell and Pelosi aren’t the only prominent politicians with a planned vaccination on the way. Vice President Mike Pence will receive his Friday morning, his office has announced. He and second lady Karen Pence will be vaccinated in front of the camera at the White House, along with US surgeon General Jerome Adams.
President Donald Trump will not receive a coronavirus vaccine until recommended by the White House medical team, a White House official told CNN on Wednesday. The official said Trump is still receiving the benefits of the monoclonal antibody cocktail he was given during his recovery from Covid-19 earlier in the fall. Once Trump enters a time window to get vaccination, he will likely get his chance at that point, the official added.
The incoming administration also plans to get vaccinated if possible. President-elect Joe Biden is expected to get his first vaccination against Covid-19 early next week, CNN has learned, and plans to get his shot in public. Biden told CNN’s Jake Tapper during an interview earlier this month that he would “like” to be vaccinated publicly, as three of his presidential predecessors – Bill Clinton, George W. Bush and Barack Obama – said they would do that as a way to demonstrate. its safety and efficacy.
The HHS secretary's wife tests positive for Covid-19; he tests negative

Vice President-elect Kamala Harris will also get the vaccine in a public setting, transition officials told CNN on Wednesday, though the timing and logistical details remain in the air.

The first doses of coronavirus vaccines were delivered to the American public on Monday, after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved the breakthrough vaccine late last week. The first batch is aimed at health professionals and residents of long-term care facilities, according to the CDC’s recommendations, but some government officials will also be vaccinated in the first rounds of the vaccine.

Some have already been vaccinated: Acting Secretary of Defense Christopher Miller received his vaccine Monday afternoon at the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center. The Navy’s top admiral, Chief of Marine Operations Mike Gilday, on Tuesday, encouraged sailors to get the vaccine, adding that he plans to receive it “soon.”

Dr. Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said he would recommend that both Trump and Pence get the Covid-19 vaccine.

“Even though the president himself was infected and he likely has antibodies that would likely be protective, we are not sure how long that protection lasts,” Fauci said on ABC’s “Good Morning America” ​​Tuesday.

Fauci also said he strongly believes that Biden and Harris should be vaccinated “as soon as possible”.

This story has been updated with a letter from Capitol attending physician Brian Monahan and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s statement.

CNN’s Manu Raju, Daniella Diaz, Jim Acosta, MJ Lee, Paul LeBlanc and Jeff Zeleny from CNN contributed to this report.

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