U.S. officials had scheduled president Donald Trump, Vice President Mike Pence, top White House officials and some in the legislative, executive and judicial branches to be vaccinated against the COVID-19 virus over the next 10 days, Reuters reported. But trump abruptly said late Wednesday that White House officials would be delayed. The New York Times reported it was not immediately clear why the delay was being made.
The US will start vaccinating against the new coronavirus on Thursday, with the first batch reserved for high-risk healthcare workers. National Security Council spokesman NASSER Juyot said top officials in the executive, Congressional and judicial departments will also be prioritized to ensure that the government can continue to operate during the outbreak, cNA reported.
However, Trump tweeted a few hours later: “White House staff should be vaccinated later unless absolutely necessary. I have requested a change in schedule and no vaccinations are scheduled but look forward to getting vaccinated in due course. Thank you everyone!”
Trump was diagnosed with COVID-19 in October and recovered after being hospitalized. He claimed to be immune to the virus, hinting that he would be vaccinated at some point in the future, but not now.
It is not clear why Trump changed the plan or whether he was aware of it in advance.
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