Police barricades stand in front of the Supreme Court on October 20, 2020 in Washington, DC.
Stefani Reynolds | Getty Images
All nine justices of the Supreme Court have been fully vaccinated for the coronavirus, a spokesperson confirmed Friday to NBC News.
The high court had been “in the process” of getting vaccines for the deadly virus since January, a spokesperson reportedly said at the time.
Outlets reported in mid-January that Chief Justice John Roberts had received both doses of the vaccine from Pfizer/BioNTech, which was the first to be approved for emergency use by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
The ages of the nine justices span more than three decades. The newest associate justice, Amy Coney Barrett, is also the youngest at 49; the oldest, Stephen Breyer, is 82.
The health risks from Covid-19 infection increase exponentially among older age groups. The death rate for people ages 65-74 is 1,100 times higher than people ages 5-17, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Four justices — Roberts, Sonia Sotomayor, Samuel Alito and Clarence Thomas — are between 65 and 74 years old.
The pandemic prompted the justices, like millions of others, to take unprecedented steps to mitigate the risk of infection. Last spring, the Supreme Court held oral arguments by teleconference for the first time in its history.
