On the morning of December 14, 2020, Sandra Lindsay made history. The director of critical care nursing at Long Island Jewish Medical Center, Lindsay sat down in front of the media and became the first person in the United States to receive a COVID-19 vaccine. New-York Historical was ready to preserve objects related to that historic moment for generations to come through our History Responds collecting initiative. This installation includes some of the fruits of our efforts and generous gifts from Northwell Health—Lindsay's vaccination card, her hospital ID badge, and empty vials of some of the first Pfizer and Johnson & Johnson vaccines—along with quotes from Lindsay who spoke to us about her pandemic experiences. "History is very very important," she said. "And 2020 is not a year that we would ever want to forget."
Read more: The Race to Collect COVID Ephemera Before It’s History, The New Yorker
Exhibitions at New-York Historical are made possible by Dr. Agnes Hsu-Tang and Oscar Tang, the Saunders Trust for American History, the Evelyn & Seymour Neuman Fund, the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council, and the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature. WNET is the media sponsor.
Media sponsor:
