Nurse Sandra Lindsay, the first person in the US to receive a COVID-19 shot, serves as field marshal of the Hometown Heroes parade in New York City in July. The event honors needed workers during the pandemic.
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Nurse Sandra Lindsay, the first person in the US to receive a COVID-19 shot, serves as field marshal of the Hometown Heroes parade in New York City in July. The event honors needed workers during the pandemic.
Cindy Ord / Getty Images
When she rolled up her sleeves nearly a year ago on December 14, Sandra Lindsay, a nurse at Northwell Health in New York, didn’t realize she would become the first person in the US to receive a shot of COVID – or Her life will change.
She signed up for the shot with a bunch of colleagues after getting emergency approval for the Pfizer vaccine.
“When I got there, I saw the cameras were already installed,” says Lindsay. Within minutes, images and video footage of her being stabbed began circulating in media around the globe.
Her phone started to ring. Her mother called first, then her friends back home in Jamaica. “It was just wild,” she said — everyone was so excited to see her face on the news.
Since then, it has been a whirlwind.
In July, she used to be a great marshal of New York City’s Hometown Heroes Parade for frontline workers. Then she was honored by President Biden at a White House ceremony for “becoming a shining example of exemplary civic duty,” according to a press release.
Meanwhile, she is completing her doctorate in health sciences while serving as the nursing director of critical care at Long Island Jewish Medical Center, a division of Northwell Health.
But over the past year, Lindsay says she’s been passionate about encouraging people to get vaccinated — especially those who might be hesitant.
Along the way, she’s learned the secret to changing her mind – and it starts with what’s in her heart.
Lead with love
If you’re trying to convince a hesitant friend or family member to get vaccinated, it’s best to lead with love. Yes, love, she said.
“People need to feel loved and not ashamed,” she added. Shaming someone is more likely to get them hypnotized – and that can be hurtful and destructive.
Don’t let them get vaccinated
If you’re planning a holiday gathering and you’re worried about including an unvaccinated family member or friend, mobilizing or threatening them with vaccinations won’t work.
“Saying ‘you can’t get here’ is not the answer,” says Lindsay. Instead, “let them know you really want to spend time with them” – but you also have worries. Tell them all the family would feel safer if everyone was gathering did all they could to protect each other.
Nurse Annabelle Jimenez, left, congratulates Lindsay with warm applause after she received her first dose of COVID vaccine on December 14, 2020.
Image of Mark Lennihan / Getty
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Image of Mark Lennihan / Getty
Nurse Annabelle Jimenez, left, congratulates Lindsay with warm applause after she received her first dose of COVID vaccine on December 14, 2020.
Image of Mark Lennihan / Getty
Ask them to take your place
For some people, not getting vaccinated is a matter of control. Protesters often say they don’t want people telling them what to do.
“So let’s turn it around,” Lindsay said. She recently consulted with a colleague on how to deal with an older, unvaccinated son.
“Ask him to put himself in your shoes,” Lindsay tells her colleague. Pretend he’s the parent. “Ask him how he would handle it.”
This strategy can help with quick reflection, she adds. And it can help them see that your primary goal is to make sure everyone is safe and protected.
There is one on one
You may want to choose a time and place for this conversation that is least likely to lead to confrontation, says Lindsay. So, not in front of family members, but perhaps while walking, just you and your partner.
This may also be a good time to ask the hesitant person if they have any unanswered questions about the vaccine. With so much misinformation, Lindsay says you don’t know what’s holding people back until you ask. To help answer their questions, direct them to online sources that provide evidence-based answers – or to a trusted healthcare provider.
Affect the people around you
Despite continued hesitancy (72% of adults in the US are now fully vaccinated), Lindsay believes much progress is being made. For example, polls show that, compared with a year ago, Vaccine hesitancy among black adults in the US has eased.
Lindsay says that no magic bullet hits 100%. “One strategy won’t get us all there.”
But each can affect those around them, she added.
She said that she was at the Jamaican Embassy recently and a woman came to see her. She recognized Lindsay and thanked her endlessly.
The woman explained that she and her family had no intention of getting vaccinated. But after seeing Lindsay on TV, the woman told her, “we’ve all come and made an appointment. So I want to thank you so much for inspiring us.”
