United to encourage citizens to get vaccinated.

President-elect Joe Biden and former US presidents Barack Obama, George W. Bush and Bill Clinton have said they are ready to be publicly vaccinated against Covid-19 in order to encourage their fellow citizens to do the same.

Barack Obama, 59, said he “fully trusted” the country's health authorities, including immunologist Anthony Fauci, a highly respected scientific figure in the United States.

"I trust science"

"If Anthony Fauci tells me that this vaccine is safe and can protect against Covid, I will not hesitate to get it injected," he said in a radio interview with SiriusXM, excerpts of which were shared on Wednesday on Youtube.

"I promise that when it becomes available to less vulnerable people, I will get the vaccine. I could do it on TV or have it filmed, so people can see that I trust science." , he added.

A column in the Washington Post called on U.S. President-elect Joe Biden, 78, and future vice-president Kamala Harris, 56, to get their shots live on television in order to convince skeptics, many in the country faced with the speed of development of vaccines against Covid-19.

"Happy" to be vaccinated

Asked about the matter, Joe Biden said Thursday that he would be "happy" to get the vaccine in public as soon as Dr Fauci recommends it.

A representative for George W. Bush told CNN that the 74-year-old former Republican president was also willing to promote Covid-19 vaccines.

"The vaccines must first have been deemed safe and given to priority populations," said representative, Freddy Ford.

"President Bush will then wait his turn and be happy to be vaccinated in front of the cameras."

Bill Clinton spokesman Angel Urena also told CNN that the former Democratic president, also 74, would be publicly vaccinated "if that could make all Americans do the same."

The Covid-19 vaccine race.

© Graphic studio France 24

With AFP

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