Covid-19 coronavirus: White House officials to get early vaccine access

Dusk settles over the White House in Washington. Photo / AP file

Senior United States government officials, including some White House officials who work in close proximity to President Donald Trump and Vice-President Mike Pence, will be offered coronavirus vaccines as soon as this week.

Public distribution is currently limited to frontline health workers and people in nursing homes and long-term care facilities.

Doses of the newly approved vaccine from Pfizer will be made available to those who work in close quarters with the nation's top leaders, two people familiar with the matter confirmed.

They said the move was meant to prevent more Covid-19 spread in the White House, which has already suffered from several outbreaks of the virus that infected Trump and other top officials, and other critical facilities.

It was not immediately clear how many officials would be offered the vaccine initially and whether Trump or Pence would get it.

The Trump Administration is undertaking the vaccination programme under federal continuity of government plans, officials said.

"Senior officials across all three branches of government will receive vaccinations pursuant to continuity of government protocols established in executive policy," said National Security Council spokesperson John Ulyot.

"The American people should have confidence that they are receiving the same safe and effective vaccine as senior officials of the United States government on the advice of public health professionals and national security leadership."

The move to vaccinate top U.S. officials would be consistent with the rollout of rapid testing machines for the coronavirus, which were similarly controlled by the federal government with kits reserved to protect the White House complex and other critical facilities.

The vaccination plan could prove to be a boon for Trump's successor, as aides to President-elect Joe Biden have been discussing when and how he should receive the vaccine and working to establish plans to boost virus safeguards in the West Wing to keep the 78-year-old Democrat healthy.

- AP