Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Dr. Anthony Fauci and other top health officials have been inoculated with Moderna’s newly approved Covid-19 vaccine, kickstarting its rollout.
The top US virologist received the jab along with Health Secretary Alex Azar on Tuesday morning.
Fauci said he was taking the vaccine on camera “as a symbol to the rest of the country.”
“I want to encourage everyone who has the opportunity to get vaccinated so that we can have the veil of protection over this country that would end this pandemic,” he proclaimed while holding his rolled-up sleeve.
Azar also delivered a short speech before receiving the vaccine.
“I made it a personal priority to ensure that we were not cutting any corners in this development process,” he said, assuring the public of the drug’s safety and the transparency of its testing. “…the final decisions made on these vaccines were made by the same career FDA scientists who would make the decisions on any other vaccine,” Azar concluded.
The first shipment of Moderna’s drug is only 100 doses, and those left after the press event will go to the staff of the government agency the National Institutes of Health. Moderna’s vaccine was authorized by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) last week for emergency use.
Credit: RT News