By Wonderwall.com Editors
10:26am PST, Jan 22, 2021
There is officially a light at the end of the tunnel. In mid-December, the first COVID-19 vaccine was rolled out in the United Kingdom and the United States and soon after expanded to Europe and across the globe. The vaccine, of course, is a major step forward in ending the coronavirus pandemic. See some of the notable names who've already been vaccinated, starting with the Governator… On Jan. 20, Arnold Schwarzenegger tweeted a video of himself getting his COVID-19 vaccine in a drive-thru line at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles. "Today was a good day. I have never been happier to wait in a line. If you're eligible, join me and sign up to get your vaccine," the 73-year-old actor and former California governor wrote alongside the clip in which he tells fans, "I just got my vaccine, and I would recommend it to anyone and everyone" before saying an iconic line from his "Terminator" movie franchise: "Come with me if you want to live." Keep reading to see more famous people — including older celebrities, famous doctors, political figures and others — who've been vaccinated against COVID-19…
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On Jan. 16, country music legend Loretta Lynn, 88, took to Instagram to share that she's been vaccinated against COVID-19. "Well, I bundled up and Peggy Jean and I rolled out of Hurricane Mills so I could get this vaccine. I'm sure glad to get it and am sure ready to put Covid in the rear view mirror! And I enjoyed the mom daughter time, too!" she captioned two photos.
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Buzz Aldrin (left) — the Apollo 11 and Gemini 12 astronaut who was one of the first two men to land on the moon — took to Twitter on Jan. 18 to tell followers he'd just received his COVID-19 vaccine two days before his 91st birthday. "I urge everyone to sign up for a vaccination as soon as possible when eligible to do so, so that life can return to normal soon," he tweeted alongside a photo of himself getting the jab. Buzz isn't the only legendary astronaut who got vaccinated in January: A week prior, 92-year-old Jim Lovell (right) — one of the first three humans to fly to and orbit the moon — got his first dose of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine in Chicago.
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Veteran newsman Dan Rather, 89, received his first COVID-19 vaccine shot on Jan. 19, 2021. "I got the vaccine today. Thank you science. Thank you to all who have been working on the front lines. I still remember the godsend of the polio shot, a flashback of emotion sweeps through me again," he tweeted along with a photo of himself being inoculated.
Norway's King Harald V and Queen Sonja, both 83, both were vaccinated against COVID-19 on Jan. 13, the Royal Court announced. They were scheduled to receive their second dose three weeks later. The monarch's sister, Princess Astrid, 88, also got the shot.
Broadway star and Oscar winner Joel Grey, 88, got his COVID-19 vaccine in mid-January in New York City. "We've lost so many people to COVID," the actor — who's the father of "Dirty Dancing" actress Jennifer Grey — told People magazine afterward. "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."
"And just like that..I have gotten my first of two @pfizerinc #covid_19 shots at @northwellhealth #lenoxhillhospital," "Today" show host Al Roker, 66, captioned an Instagram video of himself getting his jab on Jan. 19.
Basketball Hall of Famer Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, 73 — the NBA's leading all-time scorer — revealed in a PSA that started airing on Martin Luther King Jr. Day in January that he'd received his first COVID-19 vaccine. "We have to find new ways to keep each other safe," he said in the video.
On Jan. 11, fashion designer Norma Kamali took to Instagram to share a video of herself receiving her first COVID-19 vaccine shot in New York City. "When you are 75 there are many benefits and one was I was able to get my Covid vaccine today!!" she captioned the clip.
"Good news/Bad news. Good news: I just got vaccinated! Bad news: I got it because I'm 75. Ha!" comedy star Steve Martin tweeted on Jan. 17. "The operation in NYC was smooth as silk (sorry about the cliché @BCDreyer!) and hosted to perfection by the US Army and National Guard. Thank you all, and thank you science." When a commenter asked how he was able to secure a shot, Steve explained, "I signed up ON line through an NYC dot gov website (sorry I don't have the exact site), and waited IN line at the Javits Center." He later quipped, "Right now, I'm having no fide resects."
On Jan. 14, the Vatican confirmed that both Pope Francis, 84, as well as Pope Emeritus Benedict, 93, had both received their first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine. Days earlier, Francis — the leader of the Catholic Church — said people had an "ethical duty" to be vaccinated. "It is not an option, it is an ethical choice because you are gambling with your health, with your life, but you are also gambling with the lives of others," the pontiff said in an interview that aired on Italy's Canale 5 on Jan. 10. The Pope has also urged wealthier countries to share their vaccine supplies with poorer nations.
Oscar winner Judi Dench, 86, told BBC News on Jan. 14 that she has received her first shot of a COVID-19 vaccine. "I had one a week ago so I think my next is something like 11 weeks' time, that's a great start!" she said, MailOnline reported.
Three Jordanian royals — King Abdullah II, son Crown Prince Hussein and uncle Prince Hassan — received the first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine on Jan. 14, the Royal Hashemite Court announced on Twitter alongside photos and video of the men receiving their shots as Jordan's vaccination campaign kicked off.
On Jan. 13, 2021, singer Tony Bennett, 94, announced on Twitter that he got the first of two vaccination shots. "I received the first dose of the Covid 19 vaccination this week and am doing fine and encourage you to do the same," he wrote.
Music star Willie Nelson, 87, got his first COVID-19 vaccine shot at a hospital drive-thru in Texas on Jan. 13, 2021. "Getting your COVID vaccine is Willie cool!" Family Hospital Systems wrote in a Facebook post. "Thank you Willie Nelson for helping Family Hospital Systems slow the spread of COVID-19!" Willie's wife, Annie, and sister Bobbie (who is also his pianist) also got the vaccine at the hospital drive-thru.
On Jan. 11, 2021, Martha Stewart shared an Instagram video of herself getting the shot. "I was vaccinated today in a designated vaccine pod near the Martha Stewart Center for Living at Mount Sinai Downtown [in New York City]. I am so proud of and grateful to the doctors, nurses and medical staff who are wading through the red tape and confusion of the distribution of these very important vaccines," the 79-year-old star wrote in part, adding, "To allay your concerns that I jumped the line know that I am in the approved age group for this batch of vaccines and I waited in line with others."
President-elect Joe Biden received his second dose of the coronavirus vaccine from Chief Nurse Executive Ric Cuming at ChristianaCare Christiana Hospital in Newark, Delaware, on Jan. 11, 2021. He got his first shot on Dec. 21, 2020.
"Dynasty" star Joan Collins took to Instagram on Jan. 10, 2021, to reveal that she was "delighted" to have been inoculated with the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine a day earlier at her local National Health Service doctors' office in London's Bloomsbury area. She thanked the healthcare workers "for a painless and seamless procedure," noting in the caption of this photo that she was vaccinated on the "same day as our Queen!" She then added hashtags for "honoured" and "register now."
On Jan. 9, 2021, a Buckingham Palace spokesperson announced that Queen Elizabeth II, 94, and husband Prince Philip, 99, had both received COVID-19 vaccinations, which were administered by a royal household doctor at Windsor Castle, where the couple have been living amid England's most recent lockdown.
TMZ reported on Jan. 9, 2021, that "Vanderpump Rules" and former "The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills" star Ken Todd — who's married to Lisa Vanderpump — was vaccinated against COVID-19 at the Men's Health Clinic in Inglewood, California, on Jan. 5. According to the webloid, the restaurateur — who's 75 and has two underlying health conditions — lucked out only because the clinic was in a race to use a small number of vaccine doses that were about to expire that night after healthcare workers, who are at the top of the priority list in Los Angeles County, failed to show up to get their inoculations. Ken's doctor urged him to get on the clinic's waiting list, and it worked out for him. Lisa, 60, however, was not able to score a vaccine that day.
Israeli Prime Minister Minister Benjamin Netanyahu received his second dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine at Sheba Medical Center in Ramat Gan, Israel, on Jan. 9, 2021.
Baseball Hall of Famer Hank Aaron received his COVID-19 vaccination at the Morehouse School of Medicine in Atlanta on Jan. 5, 2021. He and his wife, education activist Billye Suber Aaron, received their vaccinations publicly in an effort to encourage Black Americans who might be hesitant to do so. Sadly, Hank — one of the greatest MLB players of all time — passed away two and a half weeks later on Jan. 22, though there's no indication his death was related to his vaccination.
On Jan. 1, 2021, the Danish royal house announced in a statement that Denmark's Queen Margrethe II "was vaccinated today against COVID-19. The Queen will be re-vaccinated in about three weeks' time." Margrethe was the first European sovereign to publicly confirm news of her vaccination.
Vice President-elect Kamala Harris was administered the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine by registered nurse Patricia Cummings at the United Medical Center in Washington, D.C., on Dec. 29, 2020. "I trust the scientists," she said after getting her first shot. "I urge everyone, when it is your turn, get vaccinated. It's about saving your life, the life of your family members, and the [lives of] your community." Her husband, attorney and future second gentleman Doug Emhoff, received the vaccine the same day and shared a photo on Twitter.
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Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, received his first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland, on Dec. 22, 2020. After rolling up his sleeve for the shot, he explained that he was getting it on live television "as a symbol to the rest of the country that I feel extreme confidence in the safety and the efficacy of this vaccine" and because he wanted "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."
President-elect Joe Biden received the vaccine on live TV on Dec. 21. "I'm doing this to demonstrate that people should be prepared when it's available to take the vaccine," he told reporters. "There's nothing to worry about."
Sir Ian McKellen got his first shot of the vaccine from the National Health Service in London on Dec. 16, 2020. "I feel very lucky to have had the vaccine. I would have no hesitation in recommending it to anyone," he tweeted afterward.
Vice President Mike Pence received a Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine at the White House in Washington, D.C., on Dec. 18, 2020. Before getting the vaccine on TV, he tweeted, "We gather at the end of a historic week to affirm to the American people that hope is on the way. @SecondLady & I were honored to step forward and receive the Safe and Effective Coronavirus Vaccine and we hope it will be a source of confidence & comfort for the American people."
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York took to her Instagram Story to share a series of videos of herself answering questions and getting the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine, which was made available to members of Congress as part of a continuity of governance plan, in Washington, D.C., on Dec. 18, 2020.
"Grateful for the months of hard work from the medical community, government partners, and others who are working around the clock to deliver a safe and effective COVID-19 vaccine to the American people. It's time for Congress to do its job as well – and finish what our bipartisan group started by passing emergency COVID relief now." –Sen. Mitt Romney of Utah, who shared this photo of himself receiving his first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine on Instagram on Dec. 18, 2020
Media mogul Rupert Murdoch — the executive chairman of News Corp and the chairman of Fox News's Fox Corp — received the COVID-19 vaccine on Dec. 18, 2020, at his doctor's office in Britain, where Rupert and wife Jerry Hall have been isolating since the summer, Variety reported. "I would like to thank the keyworkers and the NHS staff who have worked so hard throughout the pandemic, and the amazing scientists who have made this vaccine possible. I strongly encourage people around the world to get the vaccine as it becomes available," Rupert said in a statement.
Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi received the vaccine on Dec. 18, 2020. "Today, with confidence in science & at the direction of the Office of the Attending Physician, I received the COVID-19 vaccine," she tweeted. "As the vaccine is being distributed, we must all continue mask wearing, social distancing & other science-based steps to save lives & crush the virus."
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell got the COVID-19 vaccine on Dec. 18, 2020. "Just received the safe, effective COVID vaccine following continuity-of-government protocols," he tweeted afterward. "Vaccines are how we beat this virus. Now back to continue fighting for a rescue package including a lot more money for distribution so more Americans can receive it as fast as possible."
Oliver Stone revealed that he got a COVID-19 vaccine in Russia, which rolled out its program long before the United States. "I've heard good things about the Russian vaccine," the filmmaker told the Associated Press on Dec. 15, 2020. "I have to get a second shot in 45 days." He added, "But I'm hopeful. It's a very good vaccine. I don't understand why it's being ignored in the West."
"At the advice of the Office of the Attending Physician for the continuity of government, I received the first of two shots of the COVID-19 vaccine on Saturday. The vaccine is safe, effective, and will save lives. … .@SenMarkey and I will continue to wear masks, social distance, and work to make sure vaccines are made widely available and administered equitably to health care workers, essential workers, teachers, medically underserved communities, and our nation at no cost and ASAP. … The vaccine is a testament to all we can achieve when we listen to scientists, follow the advice of public health experts, and come together as a country." –Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, who posted this photo of herself receiving her first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine on Twitter on Dec. 19, 2020
U.S. Surgeon General Jerome Adams received a Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine at the White House in Washington, D.C., on Dec. 18, 2020.
"The Great British Bake Off" judge Prue Leith gets the COVID-19 vaccine in London on Dec. 15, 2020. "Who wouldn't want immunity from #Covid19 with a painless jab?? #vaccine," she tweeted afterward along with a photo of herself getting the shot.
Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida tweeted a photo of himself getting the vaccine on Dec. 19, 2020. "I know I looked away from the needle And yes, I know I need a tan," he tweeted. "But I am so confident that the #Covid19 vaccine is safe & effective that I decided to take it myself."
Second Lady Karen Pence received the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 in Washington, D.C., on Dec. 18, 2020.
"The Bachelorette" star Joe Park, an anesthesiologist in New York City, got the COVID-19 vaccine on Dec. 17, 2020. "I'm feeling pretty normal," he said the following day on his Instagram Story.
Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar received his first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland, on Dec. 22, 2020.
CNN correspondent Stephanie Elam announced that she's taking part in the Johnson & Johnson vaccine trial. "I decided to put my body where my mouth is," she said on social media. "I enrolled in a vaccine trial. Many Black and Latinx folks are fearful of medical testing but I hope my experience will help people trust science and get a coronavirus vaccine when they can."
Popular English TV host Lionel Blair received his vaccine in the United Kingdom on Dec. 16. "I couldn't believe it when they called me and said, 'It's next week and then the next one is in January,' and here I am," he said, according to Yahoo. "I'm just … thinking, thank God I live here. I'm hoping it's going to make me live a bit longer! And seeing my grandchildren and children growing up." The "Name That Tune" host added, "The whole thing means a great deal to me."
Dr. Valerie Montgomery Rice, president and dean of the Morehouse School of Medicine, and Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN's chief medical correspondent who's also a practicing neurosurgeon, posed with an Elmo doll after receiving their first COVID-19 vaccine shots on Dec. 18, 2020, at Grady Memorial Hospital in Atlanta.
