Trump rejects plan for early vaccines at White House

US President Donald Trump has reversed a plan for White House officials to receive the coronavirus vaccine in the coming days.

Officials had said senior members of the Trump administration would be among the first people to be given the Pfizer/BioNTech jab.

But Trump said he had asked for an "adjustment" to be made to the plans.

The vaccine was deemed safe by US regulators on Friday and will begin to be rolled out in the country on Monday.

It offers up to 95% protection against Covid-19.

The first three million doses of the vaccine are currently being distributed to dozens of locations in all 50 states across the US.

The first shipment of those doses left a facility in Michigan on Sunday, with health workers and the elderly in line to receive the first shots.

Coronavirus deaths have been rising sharply since November in the US, with a world-record daily increase of 3,309 reported on Saturday.

The vaccine's rollout has been framed as a turning point in the coronavirus pandemic, which has taken the lives of almost 300,000 people in the US.

When will Trump receive the vaccine?

Officials told several media outlets on Sunday that some of the first vaccines would be reserved for those who work in close proximity to Trump.

The vaccination plan, first reported by the New York Times, was confirmed by National Security Council (NSC) spokesman John Ullyot.

One aim of the programme was to build public confidence in the vaccine, he said.

"The American people should have confidence that they are receiving the same safe and effective vaccine as senior officials of the United States government on the advice of public health professionals and national security leadership," Ullyot said.

But Trump on Sunday suggested that top officials would now have to wait longer.

"People working in the White House should receive the vaccine somewhat later in the program, unless specifically necessary," he said in a tweet. "I have asked that this adjustment be made."

It was not immediately clear what effect Mr Trump's tweet would have on the government's efforts to protect top officials, AP news agency reports.

The US president, who contracted coronavirus in October and recovered after treatment in hospital, said he was not yet scheduled to take the vaccine but looked forward to doing so "at the appropriate time".

He has previously claimed to be "immune", even though medical experts say it is unclear whether people who have recovered from Covid-19 are protected from a second infection, and if so, how long this protection might last.

Boxes containing Pfizer's vaccine are unloaded from air shipping containers at UPS Worldport, in Louisville, Kentucky

There have been a number of coronavirus outbreaks in the White House, with several senior staffers and officials testing positive for the disease.

(Source: BBC)