Queens nurse receives country's first COVID-19 vaccine

Critical care nurse Sandra Lindsay (left), a nurse at Long Island Jewish Medical Center, receives the first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine from Dr. Michelle Chester, Monday, Dec. 14. Mark Lennihan/AP

By David Brand

A critical care nurse at Queens’ Long Island Jewish Medical Center became the first person in the United States to receive the COVID-19 vaccine outside of clinical trials Monday morning.

Nurse Sandra Lindsay received her first dose of the vaccine from Dr. Michelle Chester at the hospital, which straddles the border of Queens and Nassau County. The procedure coincided with Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s press briefing. 

Lindsay didn’t flinch when the needle entered her shoulder, Cuomo noted as he watched the shot on a live feed.

“It didn’t feel any different than taking other vaccines,” said Lindsay, who has treated critically ill patients since the coronavirus first strained medical staff and hospital resources in March.

A second wave of COVID-19 has hit New York City, again testing heroic medical workers across the five boroughs.  

“I would like to thank all the frontline workers, all my colleagues who have been doing a yeoman's job,” Lindsay said. “I hope this marks the beginning of the end of a very painful time in our history.”

Lindsay will receive a second dose of the vaccine next month. The state is prioritizing thousands of medical workers for the vaccines before gradually sharing doses with older adults, vulnerable New Yorkers and the rest of the general public.

Northwell Health President and CEO Michael Dowling said the Monday morning shot marked a “special moment, a special day” but said that it will be months before the vaccine is more widely available.

He cautioned New Yorkers to remain vigilant and continue adhering to public health protocols.

“Just because we’re giving out the vaccine is no excuse for the public out there not to continue wearing masks, not to social distance,” he said.

More than two-thirds of New Yorkers say they will not take the vaccine when it becomes available, according to a Siena College Research Institute poll last month.

Cuomo urged confidence in the vaccines developed by Pfizer and BioNTech, which will be distributed in New York City this week.

“The vaccine only works if the American people take it,” Cuomo said.

But New York City's initial batch of 72,000 doses is far from adequate to serve a population of 8.4 million. New Yorkers must continue wearing masks and social distancing, Cuomo said.

“It’s going to take months before the vaccine hits critical mass,” he said. “It’s the light at the end of the tunnel, but it’s a long tunnel.”