The US President’s Chief Medical Advisor is calling for Donald Trump to encourage his followers to roll up their sleeves and get vaccinated for COVID-19.
Dr Anthony Fauci made the comments while doing the rounds on US talk shows, pleading for individual’s politics to be separated from public health measures.
Speaking on Fox News Sunday, Dr Fauci said an endorsement from Trump would be a “game changer” in the country’s vaccine efforts, particularly among Republican supporters among whom Trump still holds considerable sway.
“If he came out and said, ‘Go and get vaccinated. It’s really important for your health, the health of your family and the health of the country,’ it seems absolutely inevitable that the vast majority of people who are his close followers would listen to him,” Dr Fauci said.
Trump has been on record urging followers to get vaccinated at a conservative convention, but he notably wasn’t part of a public service campaign for the COVID-19 vaccine that included former Presidents Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush and Barack Obama.
About one in five Americans have received at least one vaccine dose, with one in nine now fully vaccinated, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
