Ilhan Omar: Politicians Getting COVID-19 Vaccine Is 'Shameful'

Minneapolis MN

22 December, 2020

10:50 AM

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MINNESOTA — Rep. Ilhan Omar says she won't take the COVID-19 vaccine so that frontline workers can have the opportunity to be vaccinated. Omar said it's "shameful" that members of Congress and other political leaders are among the first in the country to get the vaccine. "I won't take it," she wrote in a tweet. It's not clear if Omar plans to get the vaccine later this year. It would makes sense if it was age, but unfortunately it's of importance and its shameful. We are not more important then frontline workers, teachers etc. who are making sacrifices everyday. Which is why I won't take it. People who need it most, should get it. Full stop. https://t.co/JQgMftm5wX— Ilhan Omar (@IlhanMN) December 20, 2020 Omar has been supportive of the COVID-19 vaccine and has previously called for it to be completely free and available to vulnerable populations and frontline workers first. Now that the vaccine is FDA approved, we must prioritize vulnerable populations and combat misinformation to protect public health.— Ilhan Omar (@IlhanMN) December 12, 2020 Omar's friend and fellow progressive colleague, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, took a different approach. Ocasio-Cortez recently livestreamed her vaccination and says she was required to take it as a member of Congress. Ocasio-Cortez says if she declined the vaccine, it could end up being stored rather than given to someone else. If it was within indiv power to "give" the vaccine to someone else, I would! But according to these protocols, there's a chance it could have just been stored. There's also a real risk in this age of misinfo of how it would be weaponized if leaders refused to take it en masse— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) December 20, 2020 Minnesota is in its second week of vaccinations against the virus. Gov. Tim Walz will provide an update on the ongoing COVID-19 vaccine distribution in Minnesota Tuesday at 2 p.m. Rep. Ilhan Omar's office did not immediately respond to Patch's request for comment