“These shots need to get in everybody’s arm as rapidly as possible, or we’re going to be back in a situation in the fall that we don’t yearn for, that we went through last year,” McConnell said during his weekly news conference. “I want to encourage everybody to do that and to ignore all of these other voices that are giving demonstrably bad advice.”…

Among the most notable voices was Rep. Steve Scalise of Louisiana, the No. 2 Republican in House leadership, who received his first dose of the Pfizer vaccine over the weekend and urged others to follow suit. Scalise had long resisted vaccination, claiming protection from antibodies and saying earlier this year that he wanted to ensure his constituents had a chance to be vaccinated first…

Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.), the No. 3 House GOP leader, encouraged her constituents to get vaccinated last week after a meeting with local business leaders in her district. She said increasing vaccination rates was key to the economic recovery, before directing her constituents to local pharmacies for shots.

“I’m very proud of our counties with very strong vaccination rates, particularly among our seniors, who are the most vulnerable, and we want to encourage those to seek vaccinations,” she said. “It’s available in your community and you can go to your local pharmacy in most cases.”