‘As soon as my turn comes up’: Fauci says he will get COVID-19 vaccine on camera

CDC director discusses state of COVID-19 pandemic

Dr. Robert Redfield, head of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, discussed the state of the coronavirus pandemic in the U.S. heading into the holidays.

LOS ANGELES - Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s leading expert on infectious diseases, said he would volunteer to be given a COVID-19 vaccine on camera in hopes of dispelling misinformation and fears surrounding the inoculation.

Speaking on an episode of Major Garrett’s CBS podcast “The Takeout,” Fauci said he would take a vaccine “as soon as my turn comes up.”

Fauci is the latest public figure to make such an announcement.

Earlier on Thursday, three former presidents said they'd be willing to take a coronavirus vaccine publicly once one becomes available.

Former President Barack Obama said during an episode of SiriusXM's "The Joe Madison Show" airing Thursday, "I promise you that when it's been made for people who are less at risk, I will be taking it."

"I may end up taking it on TV or having it filmed, just so that people know that I trust this science," Obama added.

Former President George W. Bush's chief of staff, Freddy Ford, told CNN that Bush asked him recently to meet with Fauci and Dr. Deborah Brix, the White House coronavirus response coordinator, to let them "know that, when the time is right, he wants to do what he can to help encourage his fellow citizens to get vaccinated."

"First, the vaccines need to be deemed safe and administered to the priority populations," Ford told the network. "Then, President Bush will get in line for his, and will gladly do so on camera."

Dr. Anthony Fauci, Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, speaks during a White House Coronavirus Task Force press briefing in the James Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House on November 19, 2020 in Washington, (Photo by Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images)

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"And he will do it in a public setting if it will help urge all Americans to do the same," Urena said in a statement Thursday.

The Food and Drug Administration is considering authorizing emergency use of two vaccines made by Pfizer and Moderna, but current estimates project that no more than 20 million doses of each vaccine will be available by the end of this year.

Each vaccine also requires two doses, meaning shots will be rationed in the early stages.

Earlier this week, the U.K. became the first country in the world to authorize the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine, and is expected to dispense shots within days.

The Associated Press contributed to this story.