House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who is trucking along and corralling her caucus like a pro at age 80, is in a high-risk category for COVID both because of her age and being an "essential worker." But as of Friday, she has received her first shot of the vaccine.
Congresspeople have all seemed to be on board with the mask-wearing, for the most part, but you never know where some of these Republicans have been. So it's good that Nancy was one of the first in line to get the shot — along with Vice President Mike Pence and his wife, who also got the vaccine on camera.
As CNBC reports, Pelosi got her shot of the vaccine Friday morning from the attending physician of Congress, Dr. Brian Monahan, and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell was expected to get his shot today as well.
Pelosi already had a near-miss situation with COVID back in March, when a probably infected congresswoman (Rep. Nydia Velazquez [D-New York City]) stood right next to her during the stimulus bill signing, just about a day before she became symptomatic.
Monahan penned a letter to everyone in Congress Thursday urging them to get the vaccine, saying, "My recommendation to you is absolutely unequivocal: there is no reason why you should defer receiving this vaccine. The benefit far exceeds any small risk."
The executive branch, Congress, and the Supreme Court are all reportedly getting a limited number of doses of the Pfizer vaccine for essential personnel. President Trump hasn't yet committed to getting it himself.
In a press release Friday, Speaker Pelosi called on Trump to invoke the Defense Production Act in order to accelerate manufacturing of the vaccine (and presumably of the second one being made by Moderna), and to ensure the "fair distribution" of it across the country as quickly as possible.
In contrast to the president, McConnell, who had polio as a child, made a public statement Thursday about getting the vaccine.
"As a polio survivor, I know both the fear of a disease and the extraordinary promise of hope that vaccines bring,” McConnell said. “I truly hope all Kentuckians and Americans will heed this advice and accept this safe and effective vaccine."
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