The polio vaccine had Elvis. Can celebrities similarly spur acceptance of the Covid-19 vaccine?
Former Presidents Barack Obama, George W. Bush, and Bill Clinton announced earlier this month their intentions to get vaccinated against Covid-19 — potentially on live television — to bolster trust and confidence in the shots among Americans. Following their lead, President-elect Biden said he too would take a vaccine on camera, as did Anthony Fauci, the nation’s most visible virologist. Ivanka Trump also signaled her willingness to get inoculated publicly.
Celebrities and other influential people leveraging their star power to promote a medical product is nothing new in America, not even for vaccines. Elvis Presley famously rolled up his sleeves to receive the polio vaccine on national television in 1956. The quick needle jab into the King of Rock ‘n’ Roll’s arm was among the most memorable moments from the robust teenager-led vaccine campaign. The crusade against the crippling disease helped immunizations skyrocket across the country, and by 1960, yearly cases of polio plummeted by 90% in the U.S. compared with a decade earlier, according to the University of Cambridge.
