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Obama pledges to take Covid-19 vaccine on TV, Internet says ‘not reassuring’ citing time he drank Flint’s water

Former presidents Obama, George W Bush, and Bill Clinton have all volunteered to get their Covid-19 vaccines on camera in an effort to build public confidence in the vaccine's safety

Shortly after it was revealed that former President Barack Obama has volunteered to get his novel coronavirus vaccine on live television, several skeptics took to social media to call his proclamation a stunt. Some users even brought up the incident when Obama, in May 2016, took a sip of Flint's filtered water on a visit to the city, to show that the filtered water there was "safe" to drink. The incident occurred after a change in the city's water supplier caused a crisis in 2014, with nearly 100,000 people exposed to high levels of lead through the water system, leading to an outcry. "Filtered water is safe, and it works," the then-president had said at the time during a discussion with officials in Flint. Some users drew a similarity to the water drinking "stunt" with the live vaccination. 

One user wrote: "I'm gonna get the vaccine when I'm able, I do trust that it will be safe. Effective? Maybe. Safe? I'm sure. But if thinking Barack 'The Water in Flint is Fine' Obama getting the vaccine increases my confidence? It does not." Another said: "Remember that time Obama 'drank' Flint tap water? Apparently, he doesn't, must be the lead poisoning. But seriously the vaccine is probably fine." A third cast doubt on whether Obama really drank the Flint water in 2016: "I'm actually comfortable with the vaccine. But this isn't reassuring. They could easily receive placebos just like Obama didn't actually drink Flint water."

Another said: "Instead of testing the vaccine, can Obama have like 9 more cups of Flint water?" A fifth wrote: "To each his own...but President Obama saying he’ll take a COVID Vaccine on TV to negate skepticism & fear amongst P.O.C. is like us trusting his judgement in such matters after we witnessed him drinking tap water in Flint! "

A report on Wednesday, December 2, stated that former presidents Obama, George W Bush, and Bill Clinton had all volunteered to get their Covid-19 vaccines on camera in an effort to build public confidence in the vaccine's safety after its approval by the FDA. The former presidents had volunteered for the initial shots of the vaccine in a bid to raise public awareness as American health officials are trying to convince the masses to take the vaccine, which includes skeptics. 

Obama, in a recent interview with SiriusXM host Joe Madison, had admitted that if Dr. Anthony Fauci, the country's top immunologist, deemed a coronavirus vaccine safe, he would have no issues taking the same vaccine. He had said: "People like Anthony Fauci, who I know, and I've worked with, I trust completely. So, if Anthony Fauci tells me this vaccine is safe, and can vaccinate, you know, immunize you from getting Covid, absolutely, I'm going to take it. I promise you that when it's been made for people who are less at risk, I will be taking it. I may end up taking it on TV or having it filmed, just so that people know that I trust this science, and what I don't trust is getting Covid-19."