NEW YORK – The first person to get vaccinated against COVID in this country is being honored for her bravery and instance.
CBS2’s Jessica Moore spoke with Sandra Lindsay simply after she discovered she was being awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
She was the face of bringing medication to Primary Road. Now, Sandra Lindsay, the primary particular person to get vaccinated for COVID exterior a scientific trial, is being honored for her bravery and instance.
“When did you discover out you have been receiving the Presidential Medal of Freedom?” Moore requested.
“Final weekend,” Lindsay mentioned.
“And what is going on via your thoughts?” Moore requested.
“Nicely, I missed the decision from the White Home, and the message left was that the president wished to talk to me, and I assumed, wow, is that this a prank?” Lindsay mentioned. “I used to be simply instantly overwhelmed with a ton of feelings: Delight, satisfaction, gratitude. Simply humbled and honored to even be thought of for such a prestigious award.”
Watch Jessica Moore’s full interview with Sandra Lindsay
Within the months since getting her COVID shot on reside TV in December 2020, life has been a blur of accomplishment for the nurse at Northwell Well being’s Lengthy Island Jewish Medical Middle in Queens.
“What have the final couple of years been like for you?” Moore requested.
“Since ‘the shot heard ‘around the world,’ it has been a curler coaster of alternatives, and I’ve had an opportunity to encourage some individuals world wide,” Lindsay mentioned.
Lindsay served because the grand marshal of final yr’s Hometown Heroes parade and was already awarded the Excellent American By Selection from U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Providers on the White Home. However this award holds particular that means.
“It is the best award for any civilian, and while you have a look at the listing of people that have gotten this previously – some powerhouses, celebrities. So for me, only a nurse from Jamaica, it is extremely essential and humbling,” Lindsay mentioned.
The best honor for a humble servant who helped usher vaccine science into the highlight.
The awards will probably be given out subsequent week on the White Home to 14 Individuals who’ve overcome vital obstacles to attain spectacular accomplishments. Different recipients embrace Denzel Washington, Simone Biles, and Friar Alexander Karloutsos, a Lengthy Island priest who has supplied counsel to a number of U.S. presidents.
For an entire listing of this yr’s recipients, CLICK HERE.
