US President Donald Trump on Sunday said that White House staffers should not be among the first in the country to receive the coronavirus vaccinations. Trump took to Twitter and wrote, "People working in the White House should receive the vaccine somewhat later in the program, unless specifically necessary. I have asked that this adjustment be made.”
The president said he is not scheduled to take the vaccine soon, “but look forward to doing so at the appropriate time."
In a statement to The Hill news website sent earlier on Sunday, National Security Council spokesman John Ullyot said: "Senior officials across all three branches of government will receive vaccinations under the continuity of government protocols established in executive policy. The American people should have confidence that they are receiving the same safe and effective vaccine as senior officials of the US government on the advice of public health professionals and national security leadership."
Trump's view comes just a day before the first shipments of the Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine will begin arriving in US states from Monday onwards.
On December 12, Gustave Perna, chief operating officer of Operation Warp Speed, had said that shipping companies UPS and FedEx will deliver the vaccine to nearly 150 state locations.
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The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on December 11 approved emergency use authorization of the Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine. The emergency use authorization allows the distribution of vaccines in the country.
Currently, the US has reported the world's highest number of coronavirus cases and deaths. According to the Johns Hopkins University update on Monday, revealed that the country's overall caseload and death toll stood 16,246,771 and 299,163, respectively.