Sandra Lindsay, RN, received the vaccine shortly after 9 a.m. Monday while Gov. Andrew Cuomo watched from Albany for live streaming.
“The person who is going to get the first shot in New York State, perhaps the first shot fired in the United States, Sandra Lindsay, an ICU nurse, is a pleasure to be with you,” Cuomo said. “And you’re at Long Island Jewish Medical Center, which is in Queens. Good things come from Queens.”
Raw vaccination video:
About two minutes after Lindsay received the shot, President Trump tweeted “First vaccine administered. Congratulations USA! Congratulations WORLD!”
First vaccine administered. Congratulations USA! Congratulations WORLD!
– Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 14, 2020
“It has been on the front line, as befits the first to receive the vaccine, administered by Dr. Michelle Chester,” said Mayor Bill de Blasio. He also called it “a beautiful moment.”
Northwell Health CEO Michael Dowling said it was especially important that the vaccine be given at the hospital, as it had treated more than 100,000 patients with COVID.
“And this facility, Long Island Jewish, was in the center. And in Northwell, you know, we saw over 100,000 patients with COVID. And at one point, in April, we had over 3,500 patients in our hospitals, “he said.
Watch the entire press conference and vaccination
After receiving the shot and a round of applause, Lindsay talked about getting the shot.
“I feel good. I would like to thank all the front-line workers, all my colleagues who have been around the world. I hope, today I feel hopeful. Calm down. I feel the healing will come. I hope that this marks the beginning or the end of a very painful moment in our history, ”he said. “I want to instill public confidence that the vaccine is safe. We are in a pandemic. So we must all do our part to end the pandemic. And not to give up so soon, there is light at the end. of the tunnel, but we still have to keep wearing our masks at a social distance.I believe in science, as a nurse, my practice is guided by science.So I trust that.What I don’t trust is that if I hire COVID , I don’t know how it will affect me or those I’m in contact with. So I encourage everyone to get the vaccine. “
The governor then thanked Lindsay for the vaccine and all the work she and her colleagues at the hospital have done to help treat patients with COVID.
“So God bless you. I want to thank you wholeheartedly for what you do. Everyone knows it. Everyone knows how brave you are, skilled, talented and selfless. When they use the word heroes, we don’t mean that we say it in depth and sincerity, ”Cuomo said.
An hour later, Dr. Yves Duroseau of Lenox Hill claimed his place as the first vaccinated physician.
“It felt great, it didn’t feel any different from any other vaccine I’ve received in the past,” Dr. Duroseau said.
Frontline staff at NYU Langone Medical Center in Manhattan are also scheduled to receive the vaccine beginning at 2 p.m.
The vaccine now reaches 44 hospitals in New York, including LIJ and Lenox Hill, with access to special freezers.
The Pfizer vaccine should be stored at -80 degrees Celsius and, once thawed, should be used within a few hours. It cannot be frozen.
“We can store millions of vaccines in the freezers we have. We were prepared for that,” a hospital spokesman said.
But will there be others that will roll up their sleeves? Doctors are concerned that black Americans, among those most affected by the virus, may be hesitant to fire.
Lindsay said, “We’ve been very affected and so I encourage everyone who looks like me, everyone around the world to get the vaccine,” she said.
RELATED: New York prepares for first shipments of Pfizer’s COVID vaccine
Cuomo has announced that hospital workers who are considered high-risk are the first to receive the vaccine, followed by nursing home workers and residents next week.
The essential workers who interact with the public, such as teachers and firefighters, are as follows.
The general public may not see the vaccine until February.
RELATED: Gov. Murphy says NJ’s first COVID vaccines to be administered Tuesday
De Blasio says he will prioritize the affected neighborhoods.
“We are firm that we will not distribute this vaccine according to who has more wealth, privilege or celebrity,” de Blasio said. “We will distribute according to the community that needs it most … We will spread this vaccine to everyone who needs it quickly, effectively, as only New York can do.”
COVID NYC Update: The indoor restaurant will close again in NYC on Monday
Pfizer began developing this vaccine in January and now, less than a year later, after last week’s FDA clearance, it is in hospitals.
The head of pharmacy at Mount Sinai Health System describes it as a miracle. Moderna’s COVID vaccine could receive FDA approval later this week.
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