More state officials had the COVID-19 vaccine administered to them at the state Capitol on Monday.
Secretary of State Michael Adams, State Auditor Mike Harmon, and Kentucky Supreme Court justices Lisabeth Hughes and Samuel Wright all received the Moderna vaccine, as Gov. Andy Beshear and other leaders of state government did last week.
Adams said normally he doesn’t even get flu shots, but this is different. “This is certainly a more dangerous disease, and I wanted to set an example for the rest of the public,” he said. “A lot of people don’t trust the government on both sides of the aisle. I think it’s imperative for the people to have confidence in their government. The government should be the guinea pigs and take this first.”
He cited examples where this has occurred at both the state and national levels. “Vice-President Pence has done that, Joe Biden has done that. The Governor has done that, the house speaker, the Senate president, the auditor, and now it’s my turn to do that. I feel that it’s important for leaders on both side of the aisle to be good examples and get this vaccine.”
Harmon said getting vaccinated goes along with his motto. “I tell all of our auditors we don’t target anyone, we don’t give anyone a pass, we just simply ‘Follow the Data.’ And I thought it was important if we are truly sincere in that aspect, that we should follow the data and go ahead and get the vaccine, so we can show others that we need it.
“The only way we are going to get people back to work and get our kids back into school, is if we make sure that we increase the herd immunity. The only way to do that is with the vaccine.”
All of the Constitutional officers and justices of the Supreme Court were offered a chance to get vaccinated, according to Beshear.
“The purpose is to build confidence in the vaccine,” the governor said. “If we truly want to defeat COVID, we need to vaccinate more than 70% of Kentucky’s population. And that requires validators, who are willing to step up, to take the vaccine, to show that it’s safe. It’s also important for continuity of government. These are the top elected officials under the Constitution, and it’s critical that they receive the vaccine to perform their functions.”
Beshear said as the state receives more and more of the vaccine from the federal government they will be able to expand it. “There are areas in state government that are so critical that as we go we’ll be able to provide some vaccinations.”
One of the Constitutional officers who declined to be vaccinated Monday was Agriculture Commissioner Ryan Quarles.
“Though I appreciate the Governor’s invitation, as a healthy 37-year old man with no underlying conditions, I would rather my early access vaccine be given to a high-risk individual like a frontline worker or a resident of a long-term care facility, two groups who have unfortunately borne the brunt of the coronavirus,” he said. “I understand the Centers for Disease Control’s recommendation that officials like the governor and top legislators be vaccinated for the sake of government continuity, but I do not believe rank-and-file politicians should be leapfrogging over those who are at higher risk of infection.”
“if it means saving one more life, I will wait in line just like everyone else.”
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Written by Tom Latek. Cross-posted from Kentucky Today.