>>> TODAY WE ENTER A NEW FAZE IN
OUR FIGHT AGAINST THE DEADLY
CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC.
FRONT LINE PK HEALTHCARE WORKERS
BEGAN RECEIVING THE FIRST DOSES
THIS MORNING.
3 MILLION AMERICANS IN ALL 50
STATES ARE EXPECTED TO GET THE
SHOT.
BY THE END OF THE WEEK.
A NURSE IN NEW YORK THE
EPICENTER OF THE PANDEMIC IN THE
EARLY DAYS RECEIVED THE FIRST
APPROVED VACCINATION IN THE
COUNTRY.
JOINING ME MOW IS THAT NURSE.
A NURSE AT THE LONG ISLAND
JEWISH MEDICAL CENTER.
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR BEING
HERE.
I HEARD I SAW YOU ON TV THIS
MORNING.
MY HUSBAND RAN IN AND HEARD WHAT
HOSPITAL YOU WORK AT, I HEARD
YOUR ACCENT.
AND MY HUSBANDS GRANDMOTHER
WORKED IN YOUR SAME UNIT AT THAT
SAME HOSPITAL.
SO I WAS LIKE I HAVE TO TALK TO
HER.
I WANT TO ASK ABOUT YOUR
EXPERIENCE GETTING THE VACCINE.
TELL US ABOUT IT.
WERE YOU NERVOUS?
>> THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME ON.
I FELT A HUGE SENSE OF RELIEF.
HOPE FOR EVERYONE AROUND THE
WORLD.
THAT HEALING IS COMING.
THAT WE TOOK A STEP IN THE RIGHT
DIRECTION.
TO FINALLY PUT AN END TO THE
COVID-19 PANDEMIC.
I KNOW THAT WE STILL HAVE A
LISTENING WAY TO GO.
AND SO I ENCOURAGE PEOPLE TO
LISTEN TO THE EXPERTS, TO
CONTINUE TO SOCIAL DISTANCE,
CONTINUE TO WEAR A MASK.
CONTINUE TO PRACTICE HAND
HYGIENE.
IT REALLY FELT GOOD TO GET THAT
VACCINE IN MY ARM.
FINALLY.
AFTER ALL THESE MONTHS.
IT WAS VERY DARK MANY DAYS.
I JUST HAD TO BE NUMB TO BE ABLE
TO PUSH THROUGH AND SUPPORT MY
STAFF.
AS THEY WORKED TIRELESSLY.
THEY MADE TREMENDOUS SACRIFICES.
TO BE ON THE FRONT LINE.
I JUST WANT TO MAKE SURE I WANT
RIGHT THERE WITH THEM TO SUPPORT
THEM, TO GIVE THEM SUPPORT AND
EVERYTHING THEY NEEDED.
TO CARRY ON THIS FIGHT.
AND SAVE AS MANY LIVES AS THEY
COULD.
>> THATS SO IMPORTANT.
QUEENS REALLY WAS -- THATS
WHERE THE HORROR BEGAN.
WE WERE NOTICING THE CORONAVIRUS
AND THE DEADLY IMPACT WAS IN
QUEENS BEFORE ALMOST ANYWHERE
ELSE.
THERE IS STILL THIS AS PEGT OF
THE VIRUS THAT IS HITTING HARDER
IN COMMUNITIES OF COLOR AND
BROWN AND BLACK COMMUNITIES.
I WANT TO SHOW YOU ON THE SCREEN
THERES A POLL OUT THAT TALKED
ABOUT THE FACT THAT
AFRICAN-AMERICANS AND BLACK
FOLKS ARE SKEPTICAL OF THE
VACCINE.
SO WHEN I FOUND THE 1619 PROJECT
TWEET OUT A BLACK NURSE GETTING
THIS.
ITS SO IMPORTANT.
WHAT MESSAGE DO YOU HAVE TO
PEOPLE IN THE BLACK COMMUNITY
SCARED TO DWET GET THE VACCINE.
THEY DONT TRUST THE SYSTEM.
THE HISTORY OF BLACK PEOPLES
RELATIONSHIPS WITH THE MEDICAL
WORLD AND RESEARCH WORLD.
>> I WILL SAY TO THEM I
UNDERSTAND BASED ON THE HISTORY
THEY HAVE MISTRUST.
IN THE MEDICAL SYSTEM.
AS A NURSE MY PRACTICE IS GOIDED
BY THE SCIENCE.
I BELIEVE IN SCIENCE.
WHAT YOU SHOULD NOT TRUST IS
COVID-19.
YOU DONT KNOW HOW IT WILL
EFFECT YOU.
I WOULD SAY TO YOU THAT I HOPE
THAT ME TAKING THE VACCINE TODAY
IS AN INSPIRATION TO YOU.
AND THAT YOU SHOULD TRUST THE
SCIENCE.
WHAT I HAVE SEEN I WAS JUST
TIRED OF SEEING.
IM TIRED OF SEEING THE HURT AND
THE PAIN.
THE SUFFERING.
AND THE DEATH.
THAT WAS WHY IT WAS REALLY
IMPORTANT FOR ME TO TAKE THE
VACCINE AND TO DO MY PART TO PUT
AN END TO THIS PANDEMIC.
>> YEAH.
THANK YOU FOR DOING THAT.
I WANT TO GIVE YOU AN
OPPORTUNITY TO GIVE A MESSAGE TO
THOSE WHO ARENT TAKING IT AS
SERIOUSLY AS THEY SHOULD.
AND PLANNING MAYBE TO GATHER
OVER THE CHRISTMAS HOLIDAY.
AND OVER THE ALL OF THE DECEMBER
HOLIDAYS.
WHAT MESSAGE TO YOU GIVE TO PEOPLE NOT GIVING IT SERIOUSLY
PEOPLE NOT GIVING IT SERIOUSLY
AND NOT TO PEOPLE IF YOU
HAVENT, TAKE IT FROM ME.
WHAT I HAVE SEEN AND EXPERIENCED
AND MY STAFF HAS GONE THROUGH.
PLEASE KNOW THAT THIS IS
SERIOUS.
YOU HAVE HEARD THE EXPERTS ALL
ACROSS THE MEDIA.
TALKING ABOUT THE SERIOUSNESS OF
THE PANDEMIC.
I URGE YOU TO TAKE IT SERIOUSLY.
TO PUT OFF THE CELEBRATIONS THIS
YEAR.
SO WE CAN ALL BE TOGETHER NEXT
YEAR.
AND CELEBRATE IN PERSON.
AS AN IMMIGRANT FROM JAMAICA I
LOOK FORWARD TO GOING HOME EVERY
YEAR.
MY FAMILY AND I FROM HERE TO
CELEBRATE WITH OUR FRIEND AND
FAMILY BACK HOME.
THIS YEAR WE WILL BE DOING IT
VIRTUALLY.
WERE DOING IT SO THAT NEXT YEAR
WE CAN BE TOGETHER IN PERSON.
IT WILL BE A GRAND CELEBRATION.
>> NURSE, IM SO HAPPY THAT YOU
ALLOWED US TO SPEND TIME WITH
YOU THIS EVENING.
MY HUSBANDS GRANDMA A FELLOW
IMMIGRANT AND NURSE.
SHE WILL BE THRILLED TO SEE THIS
CLIP TONIGHT.
THANK YOU FOR ALL YOURE DOING.
>> THANK YOU FOR GIVING ME THIS
PLATFORM.
A HUGE THANKS TO MY TEAM.
I CANT THANK YOU ENOUGH FOR
EVERYTHING THAT YOU HAVE DONE.
AND FOR ALL THE NURSES AROUND
THE COUNTRY THAT CAME TO OUR
RESCUE WHEN QUEENS WAS HIT HARD.
AND THE TRAVEL NURSE TS THAT