Bethesda, Maryland (WOAY) – The country’s most prominent infectious disease expert, Dr. Anthony Fauci, received his first dose of Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine on Tuesday in a ceremonial event at the National Institutes of Health.
The event was shown live on national television as part of an effort to reassure Americans that the vaccine was safe and effective. Fauci said he feels “extreme confidence” in the science behind the vaccine and wanted to get vaccinated publicly as a symbol for everyone in the country, as well as protecting him in his work where he sees patients at NIH.
“I feel extreme confidence in the safety and the efficacy of this vaccine and I want to encourage everyone who has the opportunity to get vaccinated so that we can have a veil of protection over this country, that would end this pandemic,” he said as he waited for his shot.
Fauci received his shot along with NIH Director Francis Collins and Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar. They were joined by frontline health care workers at NIH who have been treating COVID-19 patients.
