Most of the employees who received vaccines work for the Executive Office of the President, which means that they operate within the White House complex, either in the West Wing or in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building, next door. Dozens of employees are still working remotely, but the White House is prioritizing vaccination for people who work on the site and aims to eventually vaccinate all employees in person, an official told CNN.
Even with vaccinations, White House employees still wear masks when they are on site and many are working from home or attending virtual meetings in their offices.
Employees, including those working remotely, went to the Eisenhower building on Tuesday for their first vaccinations.
White House spokesman Kevin Munoz told CNN that the latest round of vaccinations occurred after about three dozen senior team members, national security staff and new cabinet members received their first doses early in January.
He said the White House medical team was “working to vaccinate all employees personally in the coming weeks to ensure a safe working environment for COVID around the president and key leaders who have national security and continued government responsibilities” .
The Biden administration’s vaccination effort marks another clear break with former President Donald Trump’s approach to the security of the White House coronavirus.
Trump and other White House officials had regularly scoffed at guidelines from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for safety during the pandemic, such as wearing face masks and social detachment.
But in the nascent Biden administration, many White House employees are working from home and will continue to do so in the coming days and weeks.
White House press secretary Jen Psaki said at a news conference last week that all employees entering the complex will undergo a Covid test, wear an N95 mask and adhere to the social detachment guidelines. Acrylic glass barriers were also mounted on tables in the west wing, something that Trump officials resisted.
“The president has asked us to be role models for the American people as well, and that is vitally important to us as well,” she said.
Although many of the West Wing offices have been assigned, the building will not be at full capacity, as it was for much of last year, despite the pandemic. The few places that have implemented some Trump homework requirements, such as the National Security Council, will continue to have employees working remotely.
This story was updated with additional information on Tuesday.
Kevin Liptak and Paul LeBlanc of CNN contributed to this report.