Three former U.S. presidents, Barack Obama, George W. Bush and Bill Clinton are ready to volunteer to allay fears among Americans to take the COVID-19 vaccine.
Their aim is to prove its safety to the American public and ready, and they will be first in line to take it. But they will only get it after the authorities prove it is safe and after its distribution among high-risk populations.
Vaccine makers Pfizer and Moderna have already submitted approval requests to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for their COVID-19 vaccines.
“People like Anthony Fauci, who I know and I’ve worked with, I trust completely,” Obama, 59, said in an interview with SiriusXM on Thursday.
“So, if Anthony Fauci tells me this vaccine is safe and can vaccinate, you know, immunize you from getting COVID, absolutely, I’m going to take it.”
“I promise you that when it’s been made for people who are less at risk, I will take it,” the 44th president added.
He, however, said the vaccine will probably first become available for high-risk communities.
“I may end up taking it on TV or having it filmed, just so that people know that I trust this science, and what I don’t trust is getting COVID.”
Fauci said the majority of Americans who wish to get vaccinated for COVID-19 should be able to do so by April or May next year.
President Bush, 74, has also contacted Dr Anthony Fauci and Dr Deborah Birx, both part of the White House coronavirus task force, to see how he can help.
Bush informed the doctors when the time is right, he wants to do what he can to help encourage his fellow citizens to get vaccinated.
He wants the authorities to deem the vaccine safe and administered to the priority populations before he too gets in line on camera for his shot.
Bill Clinton is no different. The 42nd president, 74, plans to join Bush and Obama in publicly promoting the vaccine once it becomes available.
He is in line to take his shot after it’s made available to him and after they administer the dose to the priority list first.
And he will do it in a public setting if it will help urge all Americans to do the same, PEOPLE reports.
So far, there are more than 13,999,300 confirmed cases of the coronavirus in the U.S. At least 273,500 people have died.
