CLEVELAND — On Tuesday, News 5 reported that five of the seven Cleveland mayoral candidates told us during one-on-one interviews that they were vaccinated. Basheer Jones said "not yet." Dennis Kucinich did not answer and later issued a statement. On Friday, not yet became right now for Jones, with the candidate releasing a photo and a statement saying he has started the process of getting vaccinated.
His statement:
“I chose to get vaccinated after careful consideration and conversation with my family and health care provider. The risk-benefit balance led to my decision to get vaccinated. As I’ve said, it’s a choice every person should make on their own that should not be rushed.”
In a one-on-one interview with News 5 Chief Investigator Ron Regan conducted on Wed., Aug. 25 -- an interview Regan did with each candidate that covered a number of topics such as eviction and crime -- Jones said he hadn't received a COVID-19 vaccine yet but was planning to do so.
At 36 years old, Jones has been eligible for the vaccine since March 29.
From our interview:
Ron Regan: "Are you vaccinated?"
Basheer Jones: "I'm going to be getting vaccinated. But not yet."
Ron Regan: "What held you back?"
Basheer Jones: "You know, I want to make sure that my elders get it, want to make sure that my children get it. I want to make sure the people of my community had access to it. So it wasn't something that I wanted to rush and make sure of."
More from that interview and what each candidate said here: What all 7 Cleveland mayoral candidates had to say about their vaccination policies and status.
RELATED: ‘Underlying chronic health condition’ accounts for Kucinich's vaccination status, says his doctor
