Fauci says Biden, Harris should get COVID-19 vaccine ASAP 'for security reasons'

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Fauci calls WHO 'flawed organization,' discusses holidays and vaccine

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After the first American was inoculated with a coronavirus vaccine on Monday, the nation’s top infectious disease expert recommended that President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris should move toward the front of the line.

“This is a person who very soon will be the president of the United States. Vice President-elect Kamala Harris will very soon be the vice president of the United States,” said Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID).

Pfizer’s vaccine received emergency use authorization on Friday and health care workers began to receive the shot on Monday, the same day of the Electoral College vote for the Biden-Harris ticket.

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“For security reasons, I really feel strongly that we should get them vaccinated as soon as we possibly can,” Fauci continued on ABC's "Good Morning America." “You want him fully protected as he enters into the presidency in January. So that would be my strong recommendation.”

Asked about the vaccine after Fauci’s remarks Tuesday, the president-elect said, “Dr. Fauci recommends I get the vaccine sooner rather than later.”

“I want to make sure we do it by the numbers,” Biden said, again promising to take the vaccine publicly.

Frontline workers and long-term residents of nursing homes will be the first to receive the jab, according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s recommendations.

Fauci said President Trump and Vice President Pence should take the vaccine quickly too. While Fauci noted that Trump was infected in October and likely has antibodies to protect him from the virus, he said he wasn’t sure how long the protection would last.

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“You still want to protect people who are very important to our country right now,” Fauci said.

The infectious disease expert predicted 75% to 80% of the population would have to get vaccinated to reach herd immunity.

Trump over the weekend said White House officials should receive the vaccine “somewhat later in the program, unless specifically necessary.”

“I am not scheduled to take the vaccine, but look forward to doing so at the appropriate time,” he wrote on Twitter.

White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany said Tuesday that President Trump would take it when his doctors recommend it, but that he wants to prioritize health care workers and seniors.

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Health officials project that the vaccine will be available to the general public by spring 2021.