On Sunday, U.S. Sen. Bob Casey, D-Pa., announced that he received his first of two doses of a COVID-19 vaccine.
In a statement released on Sunday, Casey talked about how the vaccine became available to federal legislators. He encouraged others to take the vaccine, too.
“Our nation now has a safe and effective vaccine for COVID-19, which has already claimed the lives of more than 300,000 Americans,” said Casey. “Dr. Brian P. Monahan, the Attending Physician for the United States Congress and Supreme Court, recently issued a recommendation that all members of Congress receive the COVID-19 vaccine, which arrived at the Capitol this week in order to ensure continuity of government.”
Casey received his first dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine Sunday morning, and is slated to receive his second dose in about three weeks.
“I encourage all Americans, in consultation with their doctor, to get the vaccine when it becomes available to them,” he added. “I will continue to press the Administration to work to ensure that all Americans can receive the vaccine in a timely manner and insist that vaccines be distributed in an equitable fashion, particularly at nursing homes where residents and workers face an acute threat from the virus.”
Casey made the announcement Sunday evening. He did not say at that point if he experienced any side effects from the vaccine.
His office provided some background with his statement, explaining that it was Dec. 12 when the Food and Drug Administration authorized emergency use to the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine.
The National Security Council notified the Office of the Attending Physician this week that doses would be available for Congress, the Supreme Court and Executive Branch agencies. According to the press release from Casey’s office, this is consistent with Presidential Policy Directive 40 (PPD-40) (2016).
“These requirements are focused on essential operations and personnel,” the press release explained. “PPD-40 establishes continuity requirements for the Federal Government and states that continuity actions for the Executive Branch should be undertaken in parallel with the Legislative and Judicial branches of government. The small number of COVID-19 vaccine doses being provided reflects a fraction of the first tranche of vaccines being distributed throughout the country.”
