Trump says he doesn't understand why people who have had COVID-19 would get vaccinated unless they're old or immunocompromised
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- Trump told NPR he is pro-vaccine and feels "comfortable" with being fully vaccinated.
- But he also said that COVID-19 survivors should not get a shot unless they're old or immunocompromised.
- Studies have proven that full immunity isn't guaranteed even if you get COVID-19.
Former President Donald Trump, who is triple-vaccinated, has said he doesn't understand why people who have had COVID-19 would get vaccinated unless they're old or immunocompromised.
In an NPR interview published Wednesday, Trump said he believed the pandemic "is going to phase out" despite millions of Americans not having been fully vaccinated.
"You know, there are many people that have had it, if you look at the numbers," Trump told NPR's Steve Inskeep.
"I don't know why they would be getting the vaccine for the most part, unless they were at a certain age group and they had certain problems, whether it's the high blood pressure ... diabetes and, you know, various things in particular."
Multiple studies have proven that even though natural infection can offer long-term protection against the coronavirus, immunity isn't guaranteed, Insider reported previously. Researchers still recommend a full vaccine course, including a booster, to lower the risk of reinfection.
Trump has in recent weeks heavily endorsed COVID-19 vaccinations, and told NPR he felt "very comfortable" being vaccinated. However, much of his base remains anti-vaccination, and in a live interview last month he told his supporters not to boo when he revealed that he had received his booster shot.
He also said he doesn't believe in vaccine mandates, saying they're "bad for the economy." Last year, President Joe Biden rolled out two COVID-19 vaccine mandates for private companies and health workers, but they have been ensnared in a series of court cases that have since reached the Supreme Court.
The NPR interview, which was meant to last 15 minutes, was cut short after Trump hung up the phone while being challenged over his false election-fraud claims.
The former president has previously discussed who he thinks should take the COVID-19 vaccine.
In an interview with the One America Network, which aired on Tuesday, Trump said he doesn't think "young, healthy" people should take the vaccine.
"I don't think that certainly, these young kids should take it ... their immune systems are so strong," he said, according to a clip of the interview published by Mediaite.
As of Tuesday, just over 60% of the US population has received both vaccinations, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
from Business Insider https://ift.tt/31TR0GO
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