President-elect Joseph R. Biden and incoming first lady Jill Biden are set to receive the first dose of Pfizer’s coronavirus vaccine Monday.
Mr. Biden and Mrs. Biden will receive the vaccine in public in Delaware, incoming White House press secretary Jen Psaki said on Friday.
Vice President-elect Kamala D. Harris and incoming second gentleman Doug Emhoff are expected to receive a first vaccine shot the following week.
Ms. Psaki said medical experts recommended that Mr. Biden and Ms. Harris get vaccinated separately, citing “security and medical protocols.”
“It is the recommendation that they did it separately and that they stagger the first doses,” she said.
Ms. Psaki said Rep. Cedric Richmond’s testing positive for the virus this week did not factor into the timing for Mr. Biden’s vaccination.
Mr. Richmond, a key Biden campaign adviser, tested positive after he and Mr. Biden were at the same event in Georgia on Tuesday. Mr. Biden tested negative Thursday.
Mr. Biden’s team said the two of them were not in “close contact” as defined by federal health professionals.
Vice President Mike Pence and second lady Karen Pence received vaccine shots Friday morning on camera in an effort to foster public confidence in the safety and efficacy of the vaccine.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell also received vaccine shots Friday.
House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy said Friday he will get vaccinated.
The White House has said President Trump is willing to take the vaccine but that he wants to give priority to front-line workers.
Mr. Trump contracted the virus in October and might have some built-in immunity.
• David Sherfinski can be reached at dsherfinski@washingtontimes.com.
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