People over 75, front-line essential workers should get vaccine next, CDC panel says

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi was vaccinated Friday afternoon on Capitol Hill, according to a spokesman.

Pelosi tweeted, "Today, with confidence in science & at the direction of the Office of the Attending Physician, I received the COVID-19 vaccine. 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 was also vaccinated Friday. He tweeted, "Just received the safe, effective COVID vaccine following continuity-of-government protocols. Vaccines are how we beat this virus."

Hours earlier, Vice President Mike Pence was vaccinated. Pence along with his wife, Karen, and U.S. Surgeon General Jerome Adams, received the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine on live television at the Eisenhower Executive Office Building on the White House complex.

All three were wearing face masks, as were the health care workers who administered the injections.

"Today, Karen and I wanted to step forward and take this vaccine to ensure the American people that while we cut red tape, we cut no corners," Pence told reporters. "Karen and I hope this step today will be a source of confidence and of comfort to the American people."

The vice president also said that emergency-use authorization of the Moderna vaccine could come "perhaps within hours."

"When it is approved, we expect later today, we’ll be in a position to ship 5.9 million doses of vaccines all across the country next week," he said.

Despite record-high numbers of new cases, deaths and hospitalizations across the U.S. this week, Pence said the country is "rounding the corner" on the coronavirus pandemic.

President-elect Joe Biden and Dr. Jill Biden will get vaccinated on Monday in Delaware, incoming White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said Friday.

ABC News' Ben Gittleson and Mariam Khan contributed to this report.

Hard-hit California reported 41,012 daily cases on Friday.

On Wednesday, the Golden State reported a record high of 53,711 daily cases.

With 300 more deaths reported Friday, California’s death toll stands at 22,160.

ABC News’ Matt Fuhrman contributed to this report.

The Washington Monument is temporarily closed, the Interior Department said, after several staff members were put in quarantine following contact with Interior Department Secretary David Bernhardt, who tested positive for COVID-19 on Wednesday.

Bernhardt led a private Washington Monument tour earlier in the week.

The monument will reopen on Dec. 21, the Interior Department said.

ABC News’ Stephanie Ebbs contributed to this report.

The London Science Museum will display the vial and syringe that was used for the United Kingdom’s first Pfizer vaccination.

The first vaccine was administered on Dec. 8 to 90-year-old grandmother Margaret Keenan.

“The empty vial and syringe from Margaret’s historic immunisation will now join the Science Museum Group Collection, a highlight of our significant COVID-19 Collecting project,” the Science Museum Group said.

ABC News’ Zoe Magee contributed to this report.