Obama, Bush and Clinton volunteer to get coronavirus vaccine on camera to prove it's safe

Former US President Barack Obama and his predecessors Bill Clinton and George W Bush have volunteered to take their Coronavirus vaccine shots on camera to allay fears surrounding its safety.

Vipin Vijayan

Washington D.C., First Published Dec 4, 2020, 8:49 AM IST | Last Updated Dec 4, 2020, 8:51 AM IST

Former US President Barack Obama and his predecessors Bill Clinton and George W Bush have volunteered to take their Coronavirus vaccine shots on camera to allay fears surrounding its safety.

All three former Presidents have said that they will wait for Federal health agencies to approve a vaccine before joining hands for an awareness campaign to promote the public confidence in the vaccine's safety.

In an interview with SiriusXM host Joe Madison, Obama said if Dr Anthony Fauci -- the nation's top infectious disease expert -- said a vaccine was safe, he would believe him and take the shot.

"People like Anthony Fauci, who I know, and I've worked with, I trust completely. So, if Anthony Fauci tells me this vaccine is safe, and can vaccinate, you know, immunize you from getting Covid, absolutely, I'm going to take it," he said.

"I promise you that when it's been made for people who are less at risk, I will be taking it. I may end up taking it on TV or having it filmed, just so that people know that I trust this science, and what I don't trust is getting Covid," he added.

Freddy Ford, Bush's chief of staff, told CNN: "A few weeks ago President Bush asked me to let Dr Fauci and Dr Deborah Birx (White House coronavirus response coordinator) know that, when the time is right, he wants to do what he can to help encourage his fellow citizens to get vaccinated. First, the vaccines need to be deemed safe and administered to the priority populations. Then, President Bush will get in line for his, and will gladly do so on camera."