Celebrities and Politicians Getting the COVID-19 Vaccine: See the Photos

In December 2020, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued emergency use authorization for two COVID-19 vaccines, one by Pfizer and another by Moderna. Days later, vials were delivered to states and frontline healthcare workers and residents of long-term care facilities began receiving the first of the two doses required for each vaccine. 

In the weeks since, many states have started expanding their vaccine programs to senior citizens, teachers and essential workers like grocery store employees, per CDC recommendations. For the latest on vaccine rollout in the United States, check your state's official website.

Note: Vaccine approvals and rollouts in countries outside the United States are happening on a different timeline.

Broadway Legend Grey, 88, got his first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine in mid-January in New York City. Later that day, the actor and director shared how, amid the pandemic, he's finding hope.

"I got the vaccine because I want to be safe. We've lost so many people to COVID. I've lost a few friends. It's heartbreaking. Frightening. Like boxing with the enemy. What's been helping me is a solid belief that there is an end. I want to live. I love life," he said.

"Quarantining has been lonely at times, but somehow you get a night's sleep, wake up and the sun is shining and you see a flower. Life is fragile, but the flower is still here, and I'm still here."

The former CBS Evening News anchor, 89, received the COVID-19 vaccine on Jan. 19, tweeting a photo of himself sitting next to the nurse who administered the shot.

"I got the vaccine today. Thank you science. Thank you to all who have been working on the front lines," he wrote.

The event brought back a flood of emotions for the legendary journalist, who recalled when the polio vaccination was rolled out.

"I still remember the godsend of the polio shot, a flashback of emotion sweeps through me again," Rather said.

"Will I get a Hello Kitty Band-Aid?" Roker joked after receiving his vaccine live on Today on Jan. 19 at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City. 

He explained how he registered for the vaccine and spoke to Hospital Medical Director Dr. Daniel Baker before getting the shot in his left arm.

Roker, 66, shared that he qualified to get the vaccine as he is over 65 years old, which allowed him to sign up for an appointment on the New York state health website the weekend prior.

However, Roker noted that it was not so easy to secure a spot and had to "hit refresh on the browser" all weekend long until given a slot at Lenox Hill.

Nelson, 87, went to a drive-through clinic on Jan. 13 to receive his shot. Both he and his wife Annie Nelson, 64, registered together to receive their vaccinations from Family Hospital Systems in Texas.

"Thank you Willie Nelson for helping Family Hospital Systems slow the spread of COVID-19," the organization captioned a Facebook photo of Nelson immediately after getting his shot. 

"He was bragging yesterday after he got it that he didn't even have a sore arm," said Annie, according to Rolling Stone. "Now, today, of course his arm is sore. We're both just a little tired. I don't know if we wouldn't be tired anyway, but we're gonna do what they said and let the vaccine do its job."

In releasing a Jan. 18 PSA encouraging people to get the vaccine, the NBA legend revealed he got his shot already, ESPN reported. The 73-year-old — who's faced prostate cancer, leukemia and heart bypass surgery — says in the clip, "We have to find new ways to keep each other safe."

"Thank you science," the 75-year-old actor Tweeted after being vaccinated in New York City in mid-January. He called the operation "smooth as silk" and thanked the U.S. Army and National Guard for their involvement.

Judi Dench recently received the first dose of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccine, she revealed on Jan. 14. 

The Oscar-winning actress, 86, shared in an interview with the BBC News that she has had one shot of the vaccine and will get the booster dose in several weeks.

"I had one a week ago so I think my next is something like 11 weeks' time, that's a great start!" she said, according to Daily Mail.

The 87-year-old Dame of drama (renowned for her role on Dynasty) had a "painless and seamless" experience getting her shot in England on the "same day as our Queen," as she pointed out. 

When fans asked about her response to the shot, she reported that she felt "absolutely fine. No side effects of any kind."

The Queen, 94, and her husband, 99, announced via Buckingham Palace that they received the vaccine via the palace's household doctor in early January. 

A royal source tells PEOPLE the monarch wanted to make news of her vaccination public in order to prevent speculation and inaccuracies.

On Jan. 1, Denmark's Queen Margrethe, 80, became the first European sovereign to publicly receive a COVID-19 vaccine.

And Norway's King Harald and Queen Sonja, both 83, were administered the vaccine on Jan. 13, the Royal Court announced.

Vice President-elect Kamala Harris was the latest American lawmaker to be publicly inoculated with the novel coronavirus vaccine, receiving her first dose of the Moderna vaccine on television on Dec. 29.

Live footage showed Harris wearing a face mask and rolling up her sleeve as her vaccine was administered by clinical nurse manager Patricia Cummings at Washington, D.C.'s United Medical Center, a public hospital that predominately serves an African American population, according to The Washington Post.

"That was easy," Harris said after receiving her shot. "Thank you. I barely felt it."

Harris then thanked the healthcare workers at United Medical Center, noting that they serve a community "that is often overlooked."

"I want to encourage everyone to get the vaccine. It is relatively painless, it happens really quickly, it is safe," Harris said.

After reassuring kids he'd personally vaccinated Santa Claus, Dr. Fauci received the Moderna vaccine himself on Dec. 22, live on TV.

When asked why he was getting the vaccine, Fauci said, "First, I am an attending physician here on the staff at the National Institutes of Health Clinical Center and so I do see patients. But, as important or more important, is as a symbol to the rest of the country that I feel extreme confidence in the safety and the efficacy of this vaccine."

"I want to encourage everyone who has the opportunity to get vaccinated so that we can have a veil of protection over this country that would end this pandemic," he added.

"I'm doing this to demonstrate that people should be prepared, when it's available, to take the vaccine," Biden told reporters on Dec. 21 while receiving his vaccine on the Christiana Care campus in Newark, Delaware. "There's nothing to worry about. I'm looking forward to the second shot."

"The scientists and the people who put this together, the frontline workers, the people who were the ones who actually did the clinical work," Biden continued. "Just amazing ... We owe you big. We really do."

On Jan. 11, he received his second dose live on camera, too.

U.S. Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Nancy Pelosi were among the members of Congress who received the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine on Dec. 18, publicly documenting the process for their constituents.

Ocasio-Cortez, a representative for a district in The Bronx, New York, shared on her Instagram Stories that she had recently learned the vaccine was available to members of Congress.

“The COVID vaccine became available to members of Congress last night and we are urged to take it as part of a continuity of governance plan so I’m heading on my way there,” Ocasio-Cortez said, opening up the conversation to allow followers to send in their questions.

“Just like wearing a mask, I’d never advise you to do something I wasn’t willing to do myself,” AOC wrote atop the clip.

Speaker of the House Pelosi shared several photos of herself getting the vaccine on Twitter. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell was photographed receiving his vaccine, as well.

The vice president, 61, and second lady, 63, received their doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine in Washington, D.C., on Dec. 18, just after 8 a.m. local time.

A livestream shared on Twitter showed Surgeon General Jerome Adams receiving the shot first (giving a thumbs-up to the camera right before), then Mrs. Pence and, finally, the vice president.

The White House announced Wednesday that the Pences would publicly receive the vaccine in an effort "to promote [its] safety and efficacy."

"You still want to protect people who are very important to our country right now," Dr. Anthony Fauci told reporters earlier in the week of vaccinating Pence, President Donald Trump, President-Elect Joe Biden and Vice-President-Elect Kamala Harris. "For security reasons, I really feel strongly that we should get them vaccinated as soon as we possibly can."

Former Presidents George W. Bush, Bill Clinton and Barack Obama have all also volunteered to take the vaccine publicly to attest to its safety to Americans.

On Dec. 16, the anesthesiologist — who appeared on the current season of The Bachelorette before being sent home in week seven — documented his journey of receiving the vaccination for the novel coronavirus in an effort to educate fans on the process.

Wearing a face mask amid the ongoing pandemic, Park began a series of videos on his Instagram Story by writing, "Step 1: Sign up (When you're allowed)," as he said, "Alright, here we go," in the first clip.

Then, in his second video, Park filled out a questionnaire before actually receiving the COVID vaccine in subsequent clips. After getting injected, the Bachelor Nation star explained that the next step was to "be monitored for 15-20 minutes." He also said he was given Tylenol "for any injection site pain" and a small package of fruit snacks.

"... And that's it," Park wrote in his final post alongside a photo of his ID with a sticker that read, "I got my COVID-19 vaccine."

McKellen, 81, was given the first of two doses at London's Queen Mary's University Hospital on Dec. 16, the Evening Standard reported.

"It's a very special day, I feel euphoric," the Oscar nominee said, per the British news outlet.

"Anyone who has lived as long as I have is alive because they have had previous vaccinations," the Lord of the Rings star said, adding, "the take up amongst the older generation will be 100 percent — it ought to be — because you're having it not just for yourself but for people who you are close to — you're doing your bit for society."

McKellen said he felt "very lucky to have had the vaccine," and encouraged others to get it as well.

CNN reporter Elam recently detailed her decision to join the Johnson & Johnson vaccine trial through Janssen Vaccines & Prevention.

"Who signs up for these trials is key," she wrote on CNN.com on Dec. 11. "That's a large part of the reason why I wanted to volunteer for this COVID-19 vaccine research — more Black people and more people of color need to be part of these trials so more diverse populations can reap the benefits of this medical research. I believe in science and I hope my decision to join a trial and my transparency about the process will help more people trust today's medicine."

Sheryl Sandberg's father Joel, who is a doctor in Florida, was one of the health care workers across the United States to receive a vaccine for the novel coronavirus (COVID-19).

The Facebook chief operating officer shared the news of her dad's vaccination on her Instagram on Dec. 15, writing, "My father, a doctor in Florida, got the COVID-19 vaccination this morning. He wrote on Facebook how there were tears in his eyes — and there are tears in my eyes as I write this."

Alongside a picture of her father getting the shot, Sandberg thanked the doctors in her family as well as "all the healthcare workers who risk their lives daily to take care of us."

Stone revealed he received the Russian version of the COVID-19 vaccine while filming in the country.

The 74-year-old filmmaker, who's behind classics like Platoon and JFK, is in Russia making a climate change documentary. In an interview with Russian media, distributed by the Associated Press, Stone confirmed he received the vaccine, dubbed Sputnik V.

"I got a vaccine shot. I don’t know if it’s going to work, I got it a few days ago," he said in the AP clip. "I’ve heard good things about the Russian vaccine. I have to get a second shot in 45 days. But I’m hopeful. It's a very good vaccine, I don't understand why it's being ignored in the West."

Great British Bake Off judge Leith was among the first group of people who received the COVID-19 vaccine in the U.K.

The British-South African chef and cookbook author, 80, announced the vaccination on her social media channels on Dec. 14. "Who wouldn't want immunity from #Covid19 with a painless jab?? #vaccine," she captioned the photo of herself wearing a mask while receiving the shot.

Former GBBO winner Dr. Rahul Mandal praised Leith in the comments saying "Yes!! You just look as gorgeous in the tent as when you are taking your jab!!" Fellow GBBO judge, Paul Hollywood also commented, "Well done Prue x."

Keenan turned into a bit of a celebrity herself when she became the first person in the United Kingdom to receive the coronavirus vaccine.

The former shop clerk, 91, was given the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine at 6:31 a.m. local time on Dec. 8, at University Hospital Coventry in England.

"I feel so privileged to be the first person vaccinated against COVID-19," she said, according to the Associated Press. "It's the best early birthday present I could wish for because it means I can finally look forward to spending time with my family and friends in the New Year after being on my own for most of the year."

The second person in the U.K. to get a shot? A man named William Shakespeare.