The nurse who received 1st COVID-19 vaccine in the US was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom: Sandra Lindsay, a New York City critical care nurse, became a symbol of hope for people all over the world after going through months of struggle and suffering devastating losses in the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic. She was the first person in the United States to post emergency clearance and receive a COVID-19 vaccine through federal officials. After going through these ordeals, she became the first person in the United States to receive a COVID-19 vaccine.
After receiving the vaccination in December 2020, Lindsay became a popular vaccine advocate practically overnight. She is now encouraging others to be vaccinated against COVID-19 in order to assist in preventing the virus’s further spread.
As a result of her activism, Lindsay was selected as one of seventeen people to receive the Presidential Medal of Freedom on Thursday. President Joe Biden presented the medal to the winners.
Before the ceremony, Lindsay expressed her gratitude to ABC News by saying, “It’s an honor to have this place in history.”
The photograph of Lindsay receiving her shot swiftly went across the country in the hours that followed her vaccination. Millions of people embraced it as a metaphorical light at the end of the tunnel after the pandemic ripped families apart.
A nurse named Sandra Lindsay, who works at the Long Island Jewish Medical Center, is shown being treated by Dr. Michelle Chester and injected with the COVID-19 vaccine on December 14, 2020, in the borough of Queens in the city of New York.
The Pool, courtesy of Getty Images
According to a news statement issued by the White House, the recipients of the medal “display the power of possibility and embody the essence of the nation – hard work, perseverance, and faith.”
[and] have overcome significant obstacles to achieve impressive achievements in the arts and sciences, dedicated their lives to serving those among us who are the most vulnerable, and acted boldly to drive change in their communities — and around the world — while simultaneously paving the way for generations to come level. “
During the event, Vice President Biden addressed Sandra by saying, “As I told you, if there are angels in heaven, they’re all nurses.”
In the midst of the pandemic, Lindsay was the nurse in charge of a team of other nurses who, according to a quotation that was read before the presentation of her medal, “worked relentlessly to save patients, risking their own lives in the process.” At the time that the COVID-19 vaccine was given the green light, Lindsay was both a “ray of light” and a “dark force” for our country.
According to the statement, she “represents the best of what America has to offer.”
In addition to Lindsay, other Presidential Medal of Honor recipients such as former Congresswoman Gabby Giffords, Khizr Khan, founder of the Constitution Literacy and National Unity Center, and actor Denzel Washington were also honored during the ceremony.
Because she thought the call from the White House was a hoax, Lindsay did not answer the phone when it rang a month ago to inform her that she had won an award. Lindsay reported feeling “overwhelmed” with emotion after discovering that the honor was not fabricated.
“I was just overwhelmed with pride, joy, and gratitude,” Lindsay remarked. “I immediately thought about what that meant for others, for people who look like me – for young ladies, for black women, for immigrants, for Jamaicans, for Americans, nurses, healthcare workers, and minorities.” “I was just overwhelmed with pride, joy, and gratitude.”
After receiving the COVID-19 vaccination on December 14, 2020, at the Jewish Medical Center in Queens, New York, Registered Nurse Sandra Lindsay, who is positioned in the center, participates in a subsequent interview.
The Pool, courtesy of Getty Images
After receiving her vaccine, Lindsay, who works as the director of critical care patient care services at Northwell Health, reported that she was met with an extremely positive response from the general public. She added that some individuals even told her that she had motivated them to get the shot themselves.
This is an honor that is incomparable to anything that Lindsay, who was brought up by her grandparents in Jamaica before moving to the United States in 1986, could have ever dreamed of receiving.
“Never in my wildest thoughts did I anticipate that I would be in this situation,” the speaker said. But I said yes. “I said yes without knowing what I was getting myself into, but I knew it was the right thing to do, and here I am today, so I guess everything is possible,” Lindsay said. “I said yes without knowing what I was getting myself into.”
Lindsay emphasized that her lobbying job is not yet over because there are still 70 million eligible Americans who have not been vaccinated.
“We’ve made a lot of progress, but [COVID-19] is still there, and it still poses a threat to you if you aren’t protected by anything,” she said. “I strongly urge anyone and everyone to be vaccinated,” Lindsay emphasized. “Even if you get vaccinated, there is no guarantee that you will be protected.”
