Congress, Supreme Court are being offered COVID-19 vaccines this week

Congressional leaders — (Image credit: Erin Scott-Pool/Getty Images)

Vice President Mike Pence is scheduled to get inculcated with Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine on live TV on Friday, followed by second lady Karen Pence and Surgeon General Jerome Adams. But they aren't the only ones in Washington being offered an early shot at the newly approved vaccine. Under President Trump's "government continuity" directive for vaccine distribution, a limited number of doses are being reserved for members of Congress, federal agency leadership, and the Supreme Court, Capitol Physician Brian Monahan said in a letter Thursday.

Along with helping ensure that the government operations will continue, the inoculation of top officials is intended to help increase confidence that the vaccine is safe. At the same time, most Americans won't have access to the vaccine until spring.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), second in the presidential line of succession after Pence, and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), who isn't in the line of succession, said Thursday they will get their first shots in the next few days. They encouraged other members of Congress to scheduled appointments for their vaccinations, too. "Once we have completed the vaccination of the members, we will follow a process to identify the continuity-essential staff members," until "the small vaccine supply is exhausted," Monahan said.

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President-elect Joe Biden is expected to get vaccinated on TV next week. "I don't want to get ahead of the line, but I want to make sure we demonstrate to the American people that it is safe to take," he told reporters Wednesday. It isn't clear when Trump will get inoculated. White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany said Wednesday that "he will receive the vaccine as soon as his medical team determines it's best."

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Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.