- On Wednesday, the US surpassed administering 1 million first doses of the coronavirus vaccine.
- That first wave included high-ranking officials like President-elect Joe Biden, Dr. Anthony Fauci, and Sen. Mitt Romney who all publicly received the coronavirus vaccine to encourage others to do the same.
- Katalin Karikó, the scientist who developed mRNA vaccines, received her first dose of the coronavirus vaccine on December 21.
- Here are the high-profile people who have received their COVID-19 vaccine in the last 11 days.
- Visit Insider's homepage for more stories.
More than 1 million people have received the coronavirus vaccine since they started being administered 10 days ago, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported on Wednesday.
Among the 1 million are a number of high-ranking politicians and scientists who joined frontline workers in getting their first doses in the past week.
The includes several members of the House and Senate, who became eligible to jump to the front of the line to ensure "continued governance" during the pandemic. Many have posted pictures of themselves receiving the vaccine to set an example for their constituents.
The 1-million figure includes shots of both Pfizer's vaccine, which began roll-out December 14, and Moderna's, which was available to the first phase of Americans a week later on December 21.
Both vaccines require two doses for it to be fully effective at preventing sickness from COVID-19 — clinical trials found that around two weeks after the second dose, each one is up to 95% effective. Pfizer's second shot is administered 21 days after the first, and Moderna's 28 days later.
Here are the most high-profile Americans who have received their first doses of their vaccines in the past 10 days.
President-elect Joe Biden and incoming first lady Jill Biden got their first doses of Pfizer's coronavirus vaccine on December 21.
The Bidens got their first doses of Pfizer-BioNTech's coronavirus vaccine on camera on Monday, December 21.
"We owe these folks an awful lot," the President-elect, 78, told reporters at ChristianaCare hospital in Newark, Delaware. "The scientists and the people who put this together, the frontline workers, the people who were the ones who actually did the clinical work, it's just amazing."
Biden told reporters that he and the incoming First Lady, 69, got the vaccine to show the American public there is nothing to fear about the vaccine.
Dr. Anthony Fauci received a dose of Moderna's vaccine, saying he felt confident the shot will help "end this pandemic"
Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, has been at the forefront of the fight against COVID-19 since the pandemic began in March.
He received his first dose of Moderna's COVID-19 vaccine on Tuesday, December 22 — two days before his 80th birthday.
After getting the shot, Fauci encouraged everyone to get vaccinated as soon as it becomes readily available to them "so we can have a veil of protection over this country that would end this pandemic."
Vice President Mike Pence and second lady Karen Pence received their first dose of the vaccine during a White House live stream.
In an effort to dispel myths about the coronavirus vaccine, the Pences received their first doses of the Pfizer vaccine publicly during a live stream from the White House.
According to a report, President Donald Trump refused to attend the event because he did not want to be the face of vaccinations in the US.
US Surgeon General Jerome Adams joined the Pences in receiving his first dose of the Pfizer vaccine.
After getting his Pfizer shot, Adams posted a tweet honoring Kizzy Corbett, the Black scientist who was integral in developing the Moderna shot with the US National Institutes of Health.
Moderna's years of work on mRNA vaccines gave every vaccine trial a boost, speeding up the process.
"Thank you to @KizzyPhD and all the scientists, reviewers, and study participants – especially those from minority and/ or vulnerable communities- who made this moment possible," Adams said.
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York got her first shot of the Pfizer vaccine, and shared the experience on her Instagram Stories.
Following the President-elect's lead to show the general public the coronavirus vaccines are safe, a slew of congress members broadcasted their own first doses on social media.
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez got hers, and answered a series of questions about the vaccination on Instagram during the process.
"I'd *never* ask you to do something I wasn't willing to do myself," Ocasio-Cortez tweeted after receiving her vaccine on December 19.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi from California and House Majority Whip James Clyburn showed off their vaccination pictures on Twitter.
House Majority Whip James Clyburn posted a picture of his first dose on December 18 with the caption "It is my hope that every American over the age of 16 will get vaccinated as soon as they are able so that we may save lives and ultimately defeat this virus."
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi received her vaccine the same day, encouraging people to continue taking precautions against the spread of COVID-19.
"As the vaccine is being distributed, we must all continue mask wearing, social distancing & other science-based steps to save lives & crush the virus," she wrote in her tweet.
Prominent Republicans like Sen. Lindsey Graham, Sen. Mitt Romney, and Republican Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell showed off their vaccinations on social media.
While there was argument in Congress about whether or not politicians should wait to take the vaccine like their constituents, a number of prominent Republican lawmakers posted pictures of their vaccinations.
Sen. Lindsey Graham, Sen. Mitt Romney, and Republican Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell all received their coronavirus vaccinations to act as examples for their constituents to do the same.
"Thank God for those who produced these vaccines. If enough of us take it, we will get back to normal lives," Graham wrote.
Katalin Karikó, the scientist who developed mRNA vaccines, received her first dose of the coronavirus vaccine on December 21.
As Business Insider previously reported, Karikó risked her career to develop mRNA vaccines.
Years later, she's credited with helping to fight, and hopefully end, this pandemic.
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