Dec. 14, 2020 By Christian Murray
An ICU nurse at Long Island Jewish Medical Center Queens became the first American to receive the COVID-19 vaccine Monday.
Sandra Lindsay, a critical case nurse, received the shot just after 9 a.m., one day after Pfizer’s vaccine began being shipped across the country. The shot, the first in the U.S. in a non-trial setting, represented the beginning of what will be the largest vaccination campaign in the nation’s history.
“I feel hopeful today. Relieved,” Lindsay said, who has been on the front lines since the pandemic began.
The vaccination was broadcast live on a livestream released by Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s office.
Healthcare workers such as Lindsay along with nursing-home residents are first in line for vaccination.
The state has been allocated 170,000 doses of the vaccine, with 72,000 doses for New York City.
“This is the light at the end of the tunnel. But it’s a long tunnel,” Cuomo said as he watched Lindsay’s vaccination from Albany via livestream.
This is what heroes look like.
Sandra Lindsay, an ICU Nurse at Long Island Jewish Medical Center in Queens, became the FIRST AMERICAN to get vaccinated in a non-trial setting.
Thank you Sandra and thank you Dr. Michelle Chester. #NewYorkTough pic.twitter.com/g4HGZ3jbGG
— Andrew Cuomo (@NYGovCuomo) December 14, 2020