VATICAN CITY – Both Pope Francis and former Pope Benedict XVI received the first dose of a coronavirus vaccine, the Vatican said on Thursday.
The 84-year-old pope and 93-year-old former pope received their vaccines as part of a Vatican vaccination program that began on Wednesday.
Both men are vulnerable to contracting the virus due to their age.
Francis is perhaps at greater risk because part of one of his lungs was removed after an illness when he was young in his native Argentina.
Benedict is fragile and suffers from various diseases related to old age, such as arthritis.
There have been less than 30 cases of coronavirus in Vatican City, most of them within the Swiss Guard, who live in a community barracks.
Pope Francis said over the weekend that everyone should get an injection. “It’s an ethical choice because you’re playing with your health, with your life, but you’re also playing with other people’s lives,” he told Italian TV station Canale 5.