Ed Note: Should we in independent living be at the top of the line to get the Pfizer vaccine? Probably not. How about the politicians or company CEO’s? I think we all need to take a deep breath, wait for our turn based on risk based guidelines and continue with our public health measures. We should all have access in a few months. I’m glad that Trump has backed off his request for the West Wing to get early vaccine–perhaps due to the bad optics, much like they had with access to testing. Kudos to Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla for deferring until it’s his turn.
Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla said Monday he hasn’t taken the COVID-19 vaccine yet — but only because he doesn’t want to be seen as jumping the line.
“I haven’t taken it yet and we are having an ethical committee dealing with the question of who is getting it,” Bourla told CNN’s chief medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta.
Bourla noted that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has agreed that front-line health care workers and nursing home residents and staff should be prioritized.
“Given that there are very strict allocation rules that the CDC has voted [on], we are very sensitive not to cut the queue and get vaccinated before,” Bourla said.
But he hasn’t ruled out getting the shot soon if it’ll improve confidence in the vaccine.
“People will believe much more [in the safety of the vaccine] if the CEO gets vaccinated,” he told CNN.
The first people in the US began receiving the vaccine Monday after the Food and Drug Administration granted the drug emergency use authorization on Friday.
Sandra Lindsay, a critical care nurse at Long Island Jewish Medical Center, was administered the jab on camera — becoming the first in the nation to receive the shot.