Former Presidents Barack Obama, George W. Bush and Bill Clinton have said they will take a coronavirus vaccine once one is available and may film it to build confidence in the U.S. about vaccine safety.
“I will be taking it, and I may take it on TV or have it filmed so people know that I trust this science,” Obama told SiriusXM’s “The Joe Madison Show” during an interview that is scheduled to air in full Thursday. “What I don’t trust is getting Covid.”
Bush aide Freddy Ford told NBC News that the 43rd president has also offered to help build public confidence in a Covid vaccine. “First, the vaccines need to be deemed safe and administered to the priority populations. Then, President Bush will get in line for his, and will gladly do so on camera,” Ford said.
In a statement, a spokesperson for Bill Clinton said the former president “will definitely take a vaccine as soon as available to him, based on the priorities determined by public health officials. And he will do it in a public setting if it will help urge all Americans to do the same.”
Their comments came as numerous polls find many Americans are skeptical about getting a Covid-19 vaccine, potentially jeopardizing U.S. vaccination efforts to control the pandemic, which has now taken at least 1.48 million lives worldwide. People of color, who have been disproportionately impacted by the virus, in particular, appear to be less eager to take it, according to a recent Gallup poll.
Source: CNBC
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