'That was easy!': US Vice President-elect Kamala Harris receives coronavirus vaccine

WASHINGTON: US Vice President-elect Kamala Harris on Tuesday received on live television the first dose of Covid-19 vaccine, making her the latest high-level official to do so as the incoming Trump administration seeks to instil confidence in the vaccination process.

"That was easy!" Harris said after receiving her first dose of the Moderna vaccine at the United Medical Center (UMC) in Washington DC.

"I want to thank the United Medical Center for the work that you do in southeast DC, serving our community that is often overlooked," Harris said. "So, it is good to be here and I've now been vaccinated," she said.

"There is a big difference between the vaccine and vaccination. I want to encourage everyone to get the vaccine. It is relatively painless. It happens really quickly. It is safe," Harris, wearing a black face mask, said in brief remarks after receiving the vaccine, encouraging Americans to get it, as reported by The Hill.

"I want to encourage everyone to get the vaccine. Literally, this is about saving lives," she continued. "I trust the scientists, and it is the scientists who created and approved this vaccine. I look forward to getting the second dose," she added

The Hill further reported that the Vice-President-elect received a dose of the Moderna vaccine from clinical nurse Patricia Cummings at United Medical Center, which is located in Southeast Washington, D.C.

Her husband, Doug Emhoff, also received the first dose of the Moderna vaccine on Tuesday, she said.

Vice President Mike Pence received the vaccine publicly a week after it received approval and President-elect Joe Biden did so the following week, as did top health officials like Anthony Fauci and Health and Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar.

Last Monday, US President-elect Joe Biden received his first dose of the Pfizer coronavirus vaccine, also on live television, to assure Americans of its safety. The Moderna and Pfizer vaccines are both administered in two shots with a required interval of several weeks between them, Sputnik reported.