• Staffers who work closely with president to be among first to get shots.

White House staff members who work in close quarters with President Donald Trump have been told that they are scheduled to receive injections of the coronavirus vaccine soon, at a time when the first doses are being distributed only to high-risk health care workers, according to two sources familiar with the distribution plans.

The goal of distributing the vaccine in the West Wing is to prevent additional government officials from falling ill in the final weeks of the Trump administration.

The hope is to distribute the vaccine to everyone who works in the White House, but the effort will begin with some of the most senior people who work around Trump, one of the people said.

It is not clear how many doses are being allocated to the White House or how many are needed, since many staff members have already tested positive for the virus and recovered.

The first doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine left a facility in Michigan early Sunday, with UPS and FedEx teaming up to ship.

“Senior officials across all three branches of government will receive vaccinations pursuant to continuity of government protocols established in executive policy,” John Ullyot, a spokesperson for the National Security Council, said in a statement.

He would not say whether White House officials who had already recovered would still receive the vaccine, or whether Trump himself would get one.

Late Sunday night, Trump tweeted: “People working in the White House should receive the vaccine somewhat later in the program, unless specifically necessary. I have asked that this adjustment be made. I am not scheduled to take the vaccine, but look forward to doing so at the appropriate time.”

A spokesperson for President-elect Joe Biden declined to say whether Biden or his team would receive early doses of the vaccine.