VP Mike Pence, Speaker Nancy Pelosi receive COVID-19 vaccine

Dec. 18 (UPI) -- Calling the COVID-19 vaccine developed by Pfizer and BioNTech "safe and effective," Vice President Mike Pence rolled up his left sleeve and was inoculated at the White House Friday in a broadcast event aimed at building public confidence.

Pence, second lady Karen Pence and Surgeon General Jerome Adams all received the quick vaccine while seated at the event. Mike Pence said he "didn't feel a thing."

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, meanwhile, was among the first members of Congress to receive the vaccine. She did so publicly in her office on Capitol Hill.

Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell also was expected to receive the shot.

Mike Pence hailed the vaccine for being developed and authorized in less than a year, saying vaccines normally take between eight and 12 years to be released to the public.

"While we cut red tape, we didn't cut any corners," Mike Pence, head of the White House Coronavirus Task Force, said. "As the Christmas holiday approaches, this is always the season of hope.

"We gather here today at the end of a historic week to affirm to the American people that hope is on the way."

Mike Pence called the vaccine's development a "medical miracle" -- but acknowledged, in light of surging coronavirus cases and deaths nationwide, that "we have a ways to go."

"Vigilance and the vaccine are our way through," he added. "Building confidence in the vaccine is what brings us here this morning."

President Donald Trump will not receive the vaccine unless it's recommended by the White House medical team, officials have said. President-elect Joe Biden will receive the vaccine Monday and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris will receive hers a week later, the transition team said.

Dr. Brian Monahan, the attending physician for Congress and the Supreme Court, encouraged lawmakers and the justices to sign up to receive the vaccine. All three branches of the government received a small number of doses to protect the continuation of government during the pandemic, CNBC reported.

The Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine was approved for use in the United States last week. A second vaccine from Moderna was recommended for approval by an FDA committee on Thursday.