Washington, December 14: President Donald Trump, Vice President Mike Pence and other top US officials will be offered the newly approved COVID-19 vaccine beginning on Monday. According to an AFP report, doses of the newly approved vaccine from Pfizer will be made available to people who work in close proximity with the nation's top leaders. The United States of America (USA) on Saturday approved the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine in the country.

The aim of the move is to prevent more coronavirus spread in the White House, which has already suffered from several outbreaks of the virus that infected Trump and other top officials, and some of which were critical. Pfizer-BioNTech’s COVID-19 Vaccine Approved for Emergency Use by US Food and Drug Administration Amid Rising Coronavirus Cases.

The first trucks carrying a COVID-19 vaccine for widespread use in the US were pulled out of a Michigan manufacturing facility on Sunday. Shipments of the Pfizer vaccine will set in motion the biggest vaccination effort in American history.

The White House vaccinations come as Trump and his aides have consistently flouted the COVID-19 guidelines issued by his own administration, including hosting large holiday parties with maskless attendees this December.

The Pfizer vaccine requires two doses to be administered three weeks apart, meaning Trump administration officials would receive the final shot just weeks before leaving office. Earlier reports informed that the initial supplies from Pfizer and Moderna will be limited and reserved primarily for health care workers and nursing home patients.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Dec 14, 2020 07:50 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).