Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Biden Lines Up For His COVID Shot As Others In Government Tout Theirs
NPR: Biden To Receive COVID-19 Vaccine Monday
President-elect Joe Biden and incoming first lady Jill Biden will both publicly receive their first doses of a COVID-19 vaccine in Delaware on Monday, as the death toll from the disease nears 320,000 in the United States. The president-elect has set a goal of distributing 100 million vaccine shots in the first 100 days of his administration. (Sprunt, 12/21)
AP: Biden To Receive COVID Vaccine As Trump Remains On Sidelines
“I don’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,” Biden has said of his decision. Biden and his wife, Jill, will also thank health care workers at the facility where they receive the shots, his incoming press secretary has said. (Colvin, 12/21)
And others in the federal government are inoculated —
PBS NewsHour: Pelosi, McConnell Get COVID-19 Vaccine, Urge Others To Do So
The legislative branch of government is rapidly moving to receive the coronavirus vaccine, with both House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell getting the shot on Friday and the top Capitol doctor urging all members of Congress to join them. Both Pelosi and McConnell tweeted photos of themselves receiving the vaccine from the Capitol physician, Dr. Brian P. Monahan. Monahan informed lawmakers Thursday evening that they are all eligible for the shots under government continuity guidelines and asked members of the House and Senate to make appointments with his office to be vaccinated. (12/18)
The Washington Post: Pelosi, McConnell Receive Coronavirus Vaccine From The Capitol's Top Doctor
Throughout the day Friday at the Capitol, other members of leadership and rank-and-file lawmakers also received the vaccine. House Majority Leader Steny H. Hoyer (D-Md.), Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.), the third-ranking Republican in leadership, and Sen. Richard J. Durbin (D-Ill.), the No. 2 Democrat, were vaccinated. Rep. Brad Wenstrup (R-Ohio), a doctor, volunteered to get the shot and afterward encouraged his constituents to do the same when it becomes more widely available. (Kane, Wagner and Itkowitz, 12/18)
Fox News: AOC Gets Coronavirus Vaccine On Social Media, As Congress Begins To Receive Pfizer Injections
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, as well as several other New York lawmakers, used social media to document getting vaccinated for the coronavirus Saturday, as the vaccine became available for Congress. The self-proclaimed Democratic socialist also posted a photo of her COVID-19 vaccination record card. (Wallace, 12/20)
