It’s official: the first person in the U.S. has been vaccinated for COVID-19 in NYC.
The momentous occasion — one that we’ve been anxiously awaiting since the pandemic first hit — happened this morning and was broadcast live by New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo.
The Pfizer vaccine was given to Sandra Lindsay, a nurse at Long Island Jewish Medical Center in Queens, and was administered by a doctor from Northwell Health
“Thank you for everything you’ve done for all New Yorkers through this pandemic. I know how horrific it was; it was a modern-day battlefield and that’s why the word ‘hero’ is so appropriate for what you did,” he said to her and the fellow health staff ahead of the moment. Queens was the borough hardest-hit by COVID-19.
The Governor stayed true with his metaphors as he spoke about the historic day, saying, “this vaccine is the weapon that will win the war, the beginning of the last chapter of the book.”
HISTORY.
The first New Yorker, frontline nurse Sandra Lindsay, has been vaccinated.
Healing is coming.
Thank you, Sandra.
— Andrew Cuomo (@NYGovCuomo) December 14, 2020
When the Governor commented after that Lindsay didn’t flinch at all, she said it didn’t feel any different from any other vaccine.
He thanked her profusely for volunteering, and emphasized the need for the rest of the public to get vaccinated when it becomes available to them. Right now, at-risk frontline workers like hospital and nursing home staff will be the first groups to get vaccinated in New York.
Pharmaceutical corporation Pfizer shared news of a 95% effective coronavirus vaccine last month, and on Friday night the Food and Drug Administration authorized emergency use of the vaccine on Friday evening. According to the New York Times, almost 3 million doses of the vaccine are currently being distributed across the country, and will be given to hospitals as first-priority. Depending on the state, the rest of the public should be able to start receiving them by this spring.
featured image source: Video Still