Vice President Mike Pence, his wife, and Surgeon General Jerome Adams are set to receive their COVID-19 vaccine shot in front of the public in an event in the White House on Friday.
The event is meant to build confidence in the safety and efficacy of Pfizer’s recently approved vaccine. The White House said that President-elect Joe Biden will also receive his vaccination in public sometime next week.
Biden told reporters on Wednesday that he wants to demonstrate to people that the vaccine is safe to take.
“When I do it, I’ll do it publicly so you can all witness my getting it done,” Biden said.
The Food and Drug Administration recently approved Pfizer’s vaccine candidate for emergency use. Distributors of the vaccine have already provided health care workers across the nation with doses, making them among the first to receive the federally-approved treatment.
In a poll conducted by the Kaiser Family Foundation, 71% of Americans said that they were willing to be vaccinated. Previous polls showed a much lower number as some Americans have expressed concerns over the efficacy of the treatment.
Several politicians have come forward and volunteered to be vaccinated in front of the camera. Former President Barack Obama, Bill Clinton, and George W. Bush have agreed to be publicly vaccinated to build public trust.