Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) received the first dose of the Pfizer vaccine, documenting the process Friday evening.
“Hey everyone! So we found out last night that the COVID vaccine was available to members of Congress as part of ‘continuity of governance’ plan (basically a national security measure),” she wrote in an Instagram story Friday evening, adding that she would “never advise” Americans to do something she was not willing to do herself.
“So I’m heading to my vaccination appt now,” she continued, and said she was there to take any questions before posting a video receiving the first dose of the vaccine:
A few hours later, the New York lawmaker provided a brief update and said she did not feel any side effects.
“Some people feel tired, have a headache, etc. — That’s normal. Your body is building immunity,” she said, promising to provide another update on Saturday.
Healthcare workers across the country have already begun to receive the vaccine. This week, a New York nurse became the first in the U.S. to receive the Pfizer vaccine outside of clinical trials.
Vice President Mike Pence and leaders of the House and Senate — House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) — have also received the vaccine:
On Friday, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) officially approved the emergency use of Moderna’s vaccine.