An ICU nurse has become one of the first Americans to receive a shot of the first Covid vaccine to be approved for use in the United States. Sandra Lindsay received the shot live on camera at Long Island Jewish Medical Center in queens, New York, on Monday morning.

Applause rang out after a doctor administered the shot, with Lindsay saying of the doctor: ‘She has a good touch. It didn’t feel different from taking any other vaccine.’

Lindsay, who has spent the last 10 months ‘working tirelessly’ to treat Covid patients, also urged others to have the shot, saying: ‘I encourage everyone to take the vaccine…I feel hopeful today – relieved.’

‘I would like to thank all my colleagues, the front-line workers… I want to instill public confidence that the vaccine is safe.’

She is the first American to receive a dose of Pfizer’s new shot in public, with New York Governor Andrew Cuomo suggesting Lindsay may also be the first American to receive the highly-anticipated vaccine.

Governor Cuomo attended the vaccination via Zoom, and called the shot ‘The weapon that will end the war, it’s the beginning of the last chapter of the book.’

The governor could be seen smiling throughout the vaccination, and said he hopes Pfizer’s shot and other vaccines will help the Empire State return to normal by June.

New York was once the global epicenter of the Covid outbreak, and has recorded 781,000 coronavirus cases, as well as 35,198 deaths – by far the highest death toll of any US state.

Its coronavirus cases have begun to rocket again in recent weeks, and hit 11,274 on December 4. But deaths remain far lower than the 1,000-a-day seen during the first peak of the outbreak, with 124 losing their lives to Covid on Sunday.

Trucks carrying the first shipments of Pfizer’s vaccine, made with German firm BioNTech, left its factory in Portage, Michigan, on Sunday afternoon, with well-wishers cheering the drivers as they pulled away.

Pfizer CEO Albert Boula said Monday that his firm had manufactured most of the 50 million doses it expects to distribute this year, with each patient receiving two shots.

Boula says Pfizer is on course to manufacture 1.3billion doses of the vaccine in 2021, with shots from rival firms including Moderna also set to be approved in the coming weeks.

The US death toll is set to pass 300,000 on Monday, with more than 16.25 millions so-far known to have been infected with Covid.

Developing story, check back for updates

Source: Read Full Article