Washington: Kamala Harris, US Vice-President elect received her Covid-19 vaccine live on television Tuesday. She urged the public trust in the process. A mask-wearing Harris received the first of her two shots at United Medical Center, located in an area of Washington, DC with a large African-American population, while her choice of hospital highlighted the plight of the hard-hit African-American community.

African-American communities nationwide have seen disproportionately high levels of death and illness related to the Covid-19 pandemic. She also said, “So I want to remind people that right in your community is where you can take the vaccine, where you will receive the vaccine by folks you may know,” she said after receiving the vaccine manufactured by US firm Moderna.

A string of public officials have been vaccinated before cameras as part of efforts to overcome public skepticism and convince those in doubt that the immunizations are vital to returning to a semblance of normality in the months ahead. The United States has registered some 19.3 million cases and more than 335,000 deaths related to the virus, both the world’s highest, according to figures from Johns Hopkins University.