Gayle King says she is banning unvaccinated family members from annual Thanksgiving vacation

News anchor has previously referred to Covid vaccine as her ‘superpower’

Gayle King says unvaccinated family members aren’t allowed on Thanksgiving vacation (Getty Images for Tribeca Festiva)

Gayle King has revealed she will not be allowing members of her family who are unvaccinated against Covid-19 to join her annual Thanksgiving vacation.

The CBS This Morning co-host shared her strong stance on the importance of being vaccinated during a conversation with Dr Anthony Fauci on Monday.

“Dr Fauci, I don’t know how many more times you can say to people: ‘Listen, it will save your life,’” King said, before revealing that she is struggling with the vaccine hesitancy in her own family. “I have this problem with some members of my own family, which I’m now going to ban for Thanksgiving vacation.

“That’s how strongly I’m taking what you’re saying.”

The news anchor shared the steps she would be taking to protect against the spread of Covid in her own family while speaking with the nation’s top infectious diseases expert about the highly contagious Delta variant and the impact it may have on unvaccinated people in the US.

As of now, just under half of the country’s population has been fully vaccinated against Covid-19, while 56 per cent have received at least one dose.

But, as Dr Fauci reiterated out, it is important to get vaccinated as the vaccines can protect individuals from the virus.

“We really need to get more people vaccinated because that’s the solution,” Dr Fauci said. “This virus will, in fact, be protected against by the vaccine.”

This is not the first time King has shared her public support for the Covid vaccination, which she has previously referred to as a “superpower”.

“I think Covid vaccine is a superpower... the ONLY reason I could leave the house to cheer on Kevin Durant and the Brooklyn Nets,” she captioned March 2021 photos of herself watching a game in the stands. “FOURTEEN thousand (plus) fans...vaccinated sections & Covid testing on site… all precautions deeply appreciated…  best of all NETS won!”

The 66-year-old also praised the vaccine during an appearance on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert in May, telling the host that she was “so afraid” of leaving the house during the pandemic but now feels protected because she is vaccinated.

“But now, Stephen, I am vaccinated,” she said. “It is my superpower. I am vaccinated.”