Sen. Rob Portman, an Ohio Republican, revealed he joined a late-stage trial of Johnson & Johnson’s coronavirus vaccine candidate nearly two weeks ago, making him the first lawmaker to announce participation in the vaccine development process.
Portman told Politico that his decision to get the shot on Nov. 5, two days after the election, was motivated by his concerns that the public has lost faith in the safety of an accelerated vaccine and the federal government’s ability to determine its safety and efficacy.
“My hope is that people will stop criticizing the best scientists in the world who are at the [Food and Drug Administration] — who, by the way, are following the science — and, instead, encourage people to step up and be involved in these trials and to get vaccinated,” Portman said.
Johnson & Johnson is also running another phase 3 trial for its vaccine in two separate shots. Portman was instructed to keep his participation in the trial under wraps until now to give researchers time to evaluate any side effects from the shot.
The share of people in the United States willing to get the vaccine has dropped steadily since the summer. October polling from Gallup found that the share of people willing to get the FDA-authorized vaccine as soon as possible had fallen to 50%, down from 61% in late August. A STAT-Harris Poll revealed that 58% of the public surveyed in early October would get vaccinated as soon as one was available when asked earlier this month, a considerable decline from 69% who said the same thing in mid-August.
