Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Meet The First Person In The US To Get COVID Vaccine
The Washington Post: First Coronavirus Vaccine Shots Given In U.S., Starting In New York
With a quick jab to a nurse’s left deltoid, America entered a new phase in its fight against the coronavirus on Monday. The injection to Sandra Lindsay’s arm at Long Island Jewish Medical Center made her the first American to receive the coronavirus vaccine outside a clinical trial. The small dose of mRNA represented a giant leap in efforts to beat back the virus, a moonshot worth of hope amid a pandemic that has infected more than 16 million and killed more than 300,000 nationwide. (Guarino, Eunjung Cha, Wood and Witte, 12/14)
CNN: ICU Nurse In New York Among The First People In US To Get Authorized Coronavirus Vaccine
Later, Lindsay told CNN's Anderson Cooper that she feels "great." "I have no fear," she told CNN. "I trust the science. My profession is deeply rooted in science. I trust science. What I don't trust is getting Covid-19, because I don't know how it will affect me and the people around me that I could potentially transfer the virus to." Dr. Michelle Chester, the corporate director of employee health services at Northwell Health [who] delivered the shot, said the vaccine kit to administer the shot "worked perfectly." Lindsay and Chester, both Black women, were flanked on stage by Michael Dowling, the president and CEO of Northwell Health, who noted the regional hospital system has seen over 100,000 patients with Covid-19. (Levenson, 12/14)
The New York Times: U.S. Starts Vaccine Rollout As High-Risk Health Care Workers Go First
Ms. Lindsay, who has treated patients throughout the pandemic, said that she hoped her public vaccination would instill confidence that the shots were safe. “I have seen the alternative, and do not want it for you,” she said. “I feel like healing is coming. I hope this marks the beginning of the end of a very painful time in our history.” (12/15)
The Washington Post: Why New York Nurse Sandra Lindsay Got One Of The Country’s First Coronavirus Shots
It was fitting for so many reasons that Sandra Lindsay became the face of the country’s first coronavirus vaccinations Monday. With the coronavirus killing people of color at disproportionate rates, she was a Black woman eager to prove the shot’s safety to those still hesitant about being vaccinated. ... But what made Lindsay an especially poignant choice, her brother said, was that she had dreamed her whole life — since a 6-year-old in their home country of Jamaica — of finding a way to help others. (Guarino and Wan, 12/14)
The New York Times: Sandra Lindsay, The First To Be Vaccinated, Hopes To Persuade Skeptics
When officials at the Long Island Jewish Medical Center asked for staff volunteers to be among the first to take the coronavirus vaccine, Sandra Lindsay raised her hand. Because of lingering skepticism about the vaccine, even among some on her own staff, Ms. Lindsay, the director of critical care nursing, said she wanted to lead by example — particularly as a Black woman who understands the legacy of unequal and racist medical treatment and experimentation on people of color. ... Growing up in Jamaica, before she immigrated to the United States 30 years ago, Ms. Lindsay helped take care of her grandmother, her primary caregiver, who had hypertension and diabetes. She was often asked by teachers what she wanted to be when she grew up. The answer was always: a nurse. (Otterman, 12/14)
