Some SC congressmen get COVID-19 vaccine; others say wait until the public can get it
Some of South Carolina’s congressmen were among the first in the nation to receive the coronavirus vaccine, while others say they will wait until it’s available for the general public.
U.S. Rep. Jim Clyburn, 80, and U.S. Sens. Lindsey Graham, 65, and Tim Scott, 55, posted on Twitter during the last few days they were vaccinated against the virus, which has seen historic spread during recent weeks.
“Thank God for nurses who help people in need and know how to use a needle. Thank God for those who produced these vaccines,” Graham, a Seneca Republican, tweeted Saturday, along with a photo of him getting the vaccine. “If enough of us take it, we will get back to normal lives. Help is on the way.”
Clyburn tweeted Friday after receiving the vaccine that he hopes all Americans 16 and older get vaccinated against the coronavirus as soon as they are able “so that we may save lives and ultimately defeat this virus.”
Scott tweeted Monday that he “experienced no side effects” and called the vaccine, “very similar to the flu shot!”
Though he hasn’t been able to get it yet, U.S. Rep. Joe Wilson, who was diagnosed with the coronavirus last week, said he plans to get vaccinated as soon as the House Office of the Attending Physician advises him to.
“This vaccine is an historic achievement for American capabilities,” Wilson, 73, said in a statement.
Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine was approved mid-December, and South Carolina received its first doses Dec. 14. On Friday, the FDA granted Moderna’s vaccine emergency use approval, and the first doses are expected to arrive in the state this week.
The vaccine will be available to people in waves.
In South Carolina, the first to be vaccinated were healthcare workers. Once doses of Moderna’s vaccine arrives in the state, nursing home residents and staff will be next in line to receive it.
The vaccine will not be available to the general population for months.
While some Palmetto State congressmen have already been vaccinated, others say they and their colleagues should wait until their constituents can get vaccinated themselves.
U.S. Rep.-elect Nancy Mace, who defeated sitting U.S. Rep. Joe Cunningham in November, said she would wait her “turn in line” to get the vaccine.
“Congress shouldn’t be putting themselves first in line for the COVID-19 vaccination when the average American can’t get it,” Mace tweeted. “For as long as the vaccines are limited, we should prioritize healthcare and frontline workers, and every person at greater risk, especially the elderly.”
Mace, 43, already contracted the coronavirus in June. Studies on COVID-19 immunity after contracting the virus have shown mixed results, but a November study showed that it may last for years. Still, Mace confirmed that she would receive the vaccine when it becomes more widely available.
U.S. Rep. Tom Rice will also wait for the vaccine to become more widely available, his spokesperson Cally Perkins said. Rice also tested positive for the virus in June.
“Since he had COVID-19 previously and has antibodies, he wants to ensure that the elderly and frontline workers receive the vaccine first,” Perkins said.
U.S. Rep. William Timmons, 36, said it was “absurd” that “relatively young and healthy members of Congress have been prioritized over the elderly and most vulnerable among us.”
“I will not be getting a vaccine at the Capitol,” Timmons, South Carolina’s youngest congressman, said in a statement. “As a member of the South Carolina Air National Guard, I am required to be up to date on vaccines. When it is our turn in line, I will be vaccinated.”
U.S. Rep. Jeff Duncan, 54, said he agreed that others should be prioritized above himself and his colleagues when it comes to the vaccine.
“My personal belief (and everyone is entitled to their own opinion) is that politicians shouldn’t be taking the vaccine before healthcare workers, seniors and vulnerable populations,” Duncan tweeted Monday.
Reporter Joseph Bustos contributed to this report.
This story was originally published December 21, 2020 at 12:59 PM.
