Barack Obama, Bill Clinton, and George W. Bush have all said that they're willing to take the vaccine for COVID-19 publicly to help build the public's trust in it.
Per a recent report by CNN, the three former Presidents are attempting to take part in a public awareness campaign to promote confidence in the safety and effectiveness of the vaccine and to counteract the dangerous misinformation spread by the anti-vax movement.
Obama spoke about the vaccine in this interview with The Washington Post:Per CNN, in an as-yet-unaired interview with SiriusXM host Joe Madison, Obama said that he trusted the judgment of the Director National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Dr. Anthony Fauci.
Obama stated:
Credit: 1634"If Anthony Fauci tells me this vaccine is safe and can vaccinate, you know, immunize you from getting Covid, absolutely, I'm going to take it."
"I promise you that when it's been made for people who are less at risk, I will be taking it.
"I may end up taking it on TV or having it filmed, just so that people know that I trust this science, and what I don't trust is getting Covid."
Freddy Ford, George Bush's chief of staff, told CNN that the 43rd President had reached out to Dr. Fauci to ask how he could help promote the vaccine's effectiveness.
Ford stated: "A few weeks ago President Bush asked me to let Dr. Fauci and Dr. Birx know that, when the time is right, he wants to do what he can to help encourage his fellow citizens to get vaccinated.
"First, the vaccines need to be deemed safe and administered to the priority populations. Then President Bush will get in line for his and will gladly do so on camera."
Credit: 2390Finally, Angel Urena, former President Clinton's Press Secretary, told CNN: "President Clinton will definitely take a vaccine as soon as available to him, based on the priorities determined by public health officials. And he will do it in a public setting if it will help urge all Americans to do the same."
Meanwhile, the incumbent POTUS Donald Trump previously tweeted that shots will be available to the American public soon.
The President made his statement the day after pharmaceutical corporations Pfizer and BioNTech announced that their vaccines have been proven 95% effective.
Writing to his 88.9 million followers on November 19, Trump stated: "VACCINES ARE COMING FAST!!! [sic]"