A transition official told CNN that Harris will receive the vaccine live on a Washington, DC camera. The official said Harris’ husband Doug Emhoff will also receive the vaccine on Tuesday.
Biden and Harris scheduled their vaccines on the recommendation of medical experts, according to transition spokesman Jen Psaki. The reason for such a recommendation may be that if Biden and Harris reported any side effects, such as a headache or fever, they would not experience them on the same day.
The Food and Drug Administration has granted emergency use authorization for two coronavirus vaccines: one from Pfizer / BioNTech and one from Moderna. The Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines showed similar efficacy levels of almost 95%, and both vaccines require two doses administered several weeks apart.
Vice President Mike Pence received the vaccine at a camera event the week before Biden. The first doses of the Pfizer / BioNTech vaccine were administered to healthcare professionals in the same week that Pence received his injection.
Trump has not yet received the vaccine and will not be administered until recommended by the White House medical team, a White House official previously told CNN. The official said at the time that Trump was still receiving the benefits of the monoclonal antibody cocktail he received after testing positive for Covid-19 this fall, but that the president would likely have his injection as soon as it was recommended by his medical team.
However, there are no safety or efficacy data for vaccines in people who have been treated for Covid-19 with monoclonal antibodies or convalescent plasma; Trump’s treatment of Covid-19 included Regeneron’s cocktail of monoclonal antibodies. The CDC’s guidance said that “vaccination should be postponed for at least 90 days, as a precautionary measure until additional information is available, to avoid interfering with antibody treatment with the vaccine-induced immune responses.”