Fauci says he could receive Covid vaccine ‘within a week’ on camera

Doctor hopes receiving shot ‘will encourage many more people to get vaccinated’

Doctor Anthony Fauci has said that he could receive the coronavirus vaccine within a week in a bid to encourage others to accept the shot, according to reports.

Dr Fauci, the nation’s top infectious disease expert, said on Monday that he would likely be receiving the vaccine, which was approved for emergency use on Friday, in the next week or so.  

"I think it could be within a week... I mean I would imagine it could be within the next week, and then maybe at the latest the next couple of weeks, yes," Dr Fauci said in an interview on CNBC according to CNN.

"I'm gonna wait to see. We're getting a shipment, or maybe already have a shipment here on the National Institute of Health (NIH) campus,” Dr Fauci, who is director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said.

The 79-year-old doctor, who is considered at higher risk for severe illness from the disease due to his age, said that he hopes receiving the shot “will encourage many more people to get vaccinated.”

“As soon as my turn comes up, which likely will be very soon, I'm going to be available to get vaccinated publicly so that people can see that I feel strongly that this is something we should do, and hopefully that will encourage many more people to get vaccinated," he reportedly added.

The first round of Pfizer’s vaccine candidate is set for distribution this week after it was given approval by the US Food and Drug Administration for emergency use in the country last week.

Prior to the vaccination’s authorisation, Dr Fauci asked Americans to be “part of the solution” to the pandemic by receiving a coronavirus vaccine “sooner rather than later” when it becomes available.

“As long as you're susceptible you’re part of the problem not part of the solution. When you’re protected you’re another person the virus can’t impact,” he said.

“So if you want to be part of the solution, get vaccinated and say ‘I’m not going to be one of the people that is going to be a stepping stone for the virus to go to somebody else, I’m going to be a dead-end to the virus.’”

Discussions around when certain high profile figures will receive the vaccine have risen in the past few days following the shot’s approval, with research suggesting that high-level vaccinations could help boost public confidence.

Last week, an Axios-Ipsos poll found that 53 per cent of Americans would likely receive the coronavirus vaccine based on current information surrounding its development and efficacy.

About 60 per cent of respondents said they would take the vaccine if former presidents Barack Obama, George W Bush, and Bill Clinton all received the jab publicly.

Alongside Dr Fauci, President-elect Joe Biden has also said he would receive the jab on television in an effort to show the public how much the treatment is trusted.

President Donald Trump tweeted on Monday that he is “not scheduled to take the vaccine” but that he will “look forward to doing so at the appropriate time.”

On the same day, Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla said that company executives will not “cut the line” for vaccination but said that he may take the shot soon to help “build confidence in the company”.

Either way, healthcare workers and nursing home residents are initially being prioritised for the shot, and the majority of US residents are not expected to receive the vaccine until spring 2021.

Experts have stipulated that vaccine distribution won’t stop the nation’s current surge in deaths as a result of the virus, fearing the Christmas season could only worsen the pandemic.

Across the country, the pandemic has led to the deaths of over 290,000 people as a result of more than 16 million confirmed infections.

Health officials have urged citizens to continue to wear masks in public settings, avoid large gatherings, and practice stringent hygiene measures to stem the spread of the disease.

Dr Fauci said at the beginning of December that if the “overwhelming majority” of the country is vaccinated by the end of the next quarter the nation “can get back to the economy being robust” and “children can feel safe going back to school.”