In an extraordinary moment of hope after a devastating year, a nurse in Queens on Monday morning became the first person in the country to receive the long-awaited Covid-19 vaccine.
After more than nine months of fighting the coronavirus and working tirelessly to save lives, high-risk physicians and nurses treating patients infected directly with the virus will be out of clinical trials to receive the Pfizer vaccine, which arrived in the state this morning. .
Sandra Lindsay, a critical care nurse at Long Island Jewish Medical Center in Glen Oaks, rolled up her sleeve and got a shot on live television.
“It didn’t feel any different than taking any other vaccine,” Lindsay said.
Lindsay has treated coronavirus patients since the epidemic broke out in New York.
“I think healing is coming,” Lindsay said. “I hope this is the beginning of the end of a very painful time in our history. I want to build people’s confidence that the vaccine is safe. We are in an epidemic so we all need to do our part to end it. Epidemic. I believe in science.” As a nurse, my practice is driven by science, so I believe in science, which I don’t believe in is that if I contract Kovid, I don’t know how it will affect me or me. Get in touch. “
“This is the light at the end of the tunnel, but it’s a long tunnel and we need people to continue to do the right thing and the smart thing in the holiday season,” said Gov. Rew Andrew Cuomo said. Moment by live stream.
“I thank you from the bottom of our hearts for what you do,” Cuomo said after Lindsay got the shot. “When they use the word hero, it doesn’t mean light; it means deeply and sincerely. What you’re showing every day, you’re really a hero.”
Dr. Waves Duroso, president of emergency medicine at Linux Hill Hospital, was the second New Yorker to receive a shot less than two hours after Lindsay.
“Today is an important significant day of hope, and this is what will pass us by,” Duroso said, “Everyone was looking forward to this day; This day could not come soon. “
Duroso, who has been on the front lines for months treating patients, shared how the virus has personally affected his life and urged Americans to take safety precautions.
“Unfortunately, I have lost someone in my family that I lost, my dear uncle, and now I have someone in the family hospital right now, a family member, so this continues, and the way to prevent this is through vaccinations,” Yves said. Said. “We can’t kill 1,000,000 people a day, we have to stop this.”
President Donald Trump tweeted shortly after Lindsay was given the first shot.
The first vaccine administered. Congratulations USA! Congratulations world!
– Donald J. Trump (@RealDonaldTrump) December 14, 2020
More health care workers will be vaccinated during the day. New York City Health Commissioner Dave Chokshi said during a press briefing with Mayor Bill de Blasio on Monday morning that the vaccine would arrive at five hospitals in the city today, followed by 37 on Tuesday and two more on Wednesday.
“The vaccine will be given from this day forward, this vaccine will be distributed from this day and we will reverse the recruitment of coronaviruses,” de Blasio said. “Today is a day to celebrate.”
“When I saw the needle go into the hands of the nurses I felt that this hope felt good health, we’re really turning a corner, it’s really here,” de Blasio added, as he felt it while exposing the moment. .
In addition to health care workers, nursing home staff and residents also top the list for getting vaccinated.
New York City is currently preparing to receive and administer 465,000 doses over the next three weeks.
First, there are plans to administer doses for those most at risk of contracting the virus. The health commissioner said that by early 2021, it is hoped that there will be a sufficient supply of vaccines to expand the circle, which will start giving shots to people living in the 27 neighborhoods most affected by the coronavirus.
The city’s Vaccine Command Center will open simultaneously on Monday to cover all aspects of vaccination.
“The city has never seen such a level of effort,” Deputy Mayor Melanie Hartzug told NY1 in an exclusive interview.
The hub will manage vaccination efforts across the board – from distribution and storage to data collection and real-time troubleshooting. It is a collaborative effort not only in the health department and city health + hospitals, but in all city agencies like the education department and NYCHA.
“What we are not doing is waiting for a plan. So we are stress-testing all of our distribution efforts, thinking critically about how we can take advantage of all our operations, including our test and trace corps, which has stood the test of time and is now a reliable partner in communities, ”he said. Hartzog said.
The city’s Vaccine Command Center will open simultaneously on Monday to ensure the first dose of Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine is given in New York, covering all aspects of the vaccination. “The city has never seen such a level of effort,” said Deputy Mayor Melanie Hartzog. pic.twitter.com/6XynIK9Mwj
– Spectrum News NY1 (@ NY1) December 14, 2020
The Command Center will ensure equality in vaccinations and promises transparency with the public.
“We are going to start working with the surrounding communities to make sure they feel comfortable around vaccinations. There’s a lot of misinformation out there, “Hartz said.
The command center is tapping the city’s task force on racial inclusion and equality to accommodate ethnicity and meet the needs of those most affected by the coronavirus.
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