Vice President-elect Kamala D. Harris received the first dose of Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine Tuesday in Washington.
“That was easy — thank you,” Ms. Harris said after rolling up her sleeve for the cameras at United Medical Center in southeast D.C.
She encouraged people to get vaccinated when it’s their turn, saying it’s relatively painless and safe.
“I trust the scientists, and it is the scientists who created and approved this vaccine,” she said.
Ms. Harris had said during the campaign that she wasn’t going to rely on President Trump’s word alone on the safety and efficacy of a vaccine.
“If the doctors tell us that we should take it, I’ll be the first in line to take it, absolutely,” she said in an October debate. “But if Donald Trump tells us that we should take it, I’m not taking it.”
Doug Emhoff, Ms. Harris’ husband, also received a vaccine shot on Tuesday. Mr. Emhoff got his shot out of view of the news media.
President-elect Joseph R. Biden and incoming first lady Jill Biden received their first vaccine shots last week.
Mr. and Mrs. Biden received initial doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine.
“I’m doing this to demonstrate that people should be prepared, when it’s available, to take the vaccine,” Mr. Biden said after getting his shot on camera at a Delaware hospital. “There’s nothing to worry about.”
Vice President Mike Pence got his shot with the cameras rolling earlier this month.
Mr. Trump has not yet been vaccinated, though he’s a unique case since he received special antibody treatment after contracting the virus in October.
• David Sherfinski can be reached at dsherfinski@washingtontimes.com.
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