Former Presidents of the United States, Bill Clinton, George W Bush and Barack Obama or as they call themselves 42, 43 and 44, denoting which order on the line of succession they were, have volunteered to be among the first to take the vaccine for Covid-19 as they become available. This is not just a smart way to jump the queue, which anyway as a former member of a very select club they would have been at the head of, but also to give a vote of confidence for the vaccine. In that regard they are acting very Presidential, which the current occupant of the White House, for the next 45 days, President Donald Trump, certainly has not been. Far from it.

Unfortunately, the US has a significant number of conspiracy theorists who are called “anti-vaxxers”, people who believe that vaccinations will harm rather than heal. This number includes several celebrities, once including Hollywood comedy star Jim Carrey, although he has recanted his views. These celebrities, who have an outsize influence, have convinced many Americans that the vaccine will not work and unsurprisingly many of them are leading the anti-mask campaign as well. Partially some of this comes back to the “Live Free or Die” motto that many Americans live by. The last few years have actually seen the re-emergence of some diseases such as measles, which have even led to some fatalities. Clinton, Bush and Obama, with different political views, have realised that America is suffering immensely from misinformation and a trust deficit with those in power. They realise that in the past four years America has drifted towards chaos and it needs an injection, literally, of trust. Taking the vaccine first and demonstrating to Americans that the vaccine is safe will help the US economy and healthcare system to return to normal. It should also be a huge vote of confidence for vaccinations in general.

Former Presidents of the United States, Bill Clinton, George W Bush and Barack Obama or as they call themselves 42, 43 and 44, denoting which order on the line of succession they were, have volunteered to be among the first to take the vaccine for Covid-19 as they become available. This is not just a smart way to jump the queue, which anyway as a former member of a very select club they would have been at the head of, but also to give a vote of confidence for the vaccine. In that regard they are acting very Presidential, which the current occupant of the White House, for the next 45 days, President Donald Trump, certainly has not been. Far from it.

Unfortunately, the US has a significant number of conspiracy theorists who are called “anti-vaxxers”, people who believe that vaccinations will harm rather than heal. This number includes several celebrities, once including Hollywood comedy star Jim Carrey, although he has recanted his views. These celebrities, who have an outsize influence, have convinced many Americans that the vaccine will not work and unsurprisingly many of them are leading the anti-mask campaign as well. Partially some of this comes back to the “Live Free or Die” motto that many Americans live by. The last few years have actually seen the re-emergence of some diseases such as measles, which have even led to some fatalities. Clinton, Bush and Obama, with different political views, have realised that America is suffering immensely from misinformation and a trust deficit with those in power. They realise that in the past four years America has drifted towards chaos and it needs an injection, literally, of trust. Taking the vaccine first and demonstrating to Americans that the vaccine is safe will help the US economy and healthcare system to return to normal. It should also be a huge vote of confidence for vaccinations in general.