NEW YORK (1010 WINS) -- Sandra Lindsay, who works as a critical care nurse at Long Island Jewish Medical Center in Queens, was the first person in New York to receive the COVID-19 vaccine on Monday.
"I'm feeling well," Lindsay said after she received the shot and a round of applause. "I would like to thank all the frontline workers, all my colleagues who've been all over the world. I hopeful, I feel hopeful today. Relieved. I feel like healing is coming. I hope this marks the beginning or the end of a very painful time in our history."
Lindsay added, "I want to instill public confidence that the vaccine is safe. We're in a pandemic. And so we all need to do our part to put an end to the pandemic. And to not give up so soon, there is light at the end of the tunnel, but we still need to continue to wear our masks, to social distance."
The first doses of Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine arrived at Northwell Health -- the region's largest health system which includes Long Island Jewish Medical Center and Lenox Hill in Manhattan -- on Monday where the first phase of a three-stage rollout to essential frontline hospital personnel immediately began.
"I believe in science, as a nurse, my practice is guided by science," Lindsay said. "And so I trust that. What I don't trust is that if I contract COVID, I don't know how it's going to affect me or those I come in contact with. So, I encourage everyone to take the vaccine."
Yves Duroseau, MD, chair of emergency medicine at Lenox Hill Hospital will also be vaccinated.
Gov. Andrew Cuomo participated in the first vaccinations via livestream.
"Both Dr. Duroseau and Nurse Lindsay have worked tirelessly to ease the suffering of COVID-19 patients since the virus outbreak began in New York 10 months ago," the hospital said in a statement.
"It is their hope that their willingness to be among the first to be vaccinated in the region will serve as an example to the general public to take advantage of this life-saving treatment," the statement added.
Pfizer's vaccine is shipping from Michigan packed in dry ice to LIJ is one of 44 New York City hospitals with the ultra-cold storage needed for the vaccine where they will have 90 seconds to unpack it and transfer it to special storage freezers.