Top conservatives make an about-face on vaccines, will more people decide to get shots?

Press Play with Madeleine Brand

Steve Scalise, the second highest ranking Republican in the House, got vaccinated against COVID on Sunday. He said today outside the Capitol: “We’ve expressed confidence in the safety and effectiveness of the vaccine. ... I would encourage people to get the vaccine.”

Fox News’ Sean Hannity said on Monday: “Please take COVID seriously. I can’t say it enough. … We don’t need any more deaths.” That was a stark about-face from a host on a network that spent more than a year downplaying the pandemic.

David Graham, staff writer for The Atlantic, says the timing of Republican support for vaccination is confounding. “It's a little bit strange to me though, because while there is a rising risk from Delta, there has also been a risk to the pandemic all along. We haven't seen the same sort of worry and the same sort of urgency around messaging that we're seeing now.”