0:01

Hello on Robin Roberts of ABC's

0:03

Good Morning America, and welcome to

0:06

COVID nineteen Immunity in Our Community

0:08

and innovative new podcast series brought

0:10

to you by the U. S Department of Health and Human

0:13

Services. COVID

0:18

nineteen Immunity in Our Community has

0:21

been created to provide you with the groundbreaking

0:23

science, honest facts, and unvarnished

0:26

truth you need to know about the

0:28

deadly coronavirus and the revolutionary

0:31

vaccines that can put this pandemic

0:33

behind us and bring a bit of normalcy

0:36

back to all of us. And in this first

0:38

episode, we're digging into some of

0:40

the concerns within the black community

0:42

when it comes to COVID nineteen vaccines.

0:46

Many Black Americans don't trust the medical

0:48

industry due to a troubling history

0:50

of harmful health studies, medical

0:52

malpractice, and an equal

0:55

access to healthcare for people of color.

0:58

If you're a Black American, you but

1:00

we have some questions and concerns of your own about

1:02

whether the COVID nineteen vaccines

1:04

are safe and effective. Today,

1:07

we'll set the record straight. First,

1:15

we'll hear from Sandra Lindsay, a nurse

1:17

and patient services director in the Intensive

1:19

care Unit at Long Island Jewish Medical

1:22

Center in New York. Now, if

1:24

Sandra's name sounds familiar to you,

1:26

that's probably because you saw her featured

1:28

in the news as the first American

1:31

to receive the COVID nineteen vaccine.

1:34

She and her team and the IIC you have

1:36

seen the devastation from COVID nineteen

1:38

firsthand, and yet some of

1:40

her fellow staff members, black individuals

1:43

in particular, we're still hesitant

1:46

to get vaccinated. We're gonna

1:48

chat with Miss Lindsay about how she came to the decision

1:50

to get her first shot, what it was like to

1:52

get the vaccine, and why she would

1:54

encourage others to follow suit. After

1:57

that, stay tuned as we cha at

2:00

with Dr Marcella Nounez Smith, Associate

2:02

Dean for Health Equity Research at Yale

2:05

School of Medicine and share of the COVID

2:07

nineteen Health Equity Task Force.

2:10

She's here to share with us the scientific

2:12

facts about the available COVID

2:14

nineteen vaccines and how doctors

2:16

and health care leaders can start to rebuild

2:19

the trust they've lost among the black community

2:21

in order to help get our country back on track

2:24

in the wake of the coronavirus. Nurse

2:35

Sangel Lindsay has had a first hand

2:37

view of just how devastating COVID nineteen

2:39

can be. On the front lines.

2:41

She's been watching people fight fevers and chills,

2:44

struggle for air, take their

2:46

last breaths alone, separated from the loved

2:49

ones. When the vaccine

2:51

rollout began, she read through the entire

2:53

fiser, studying not just to

2:55

see the safety results, but to

2:57

see who was included, making

3:00

sure that folks like her, women, people

3:02

of color were represented. Sure

3:05

enough, they were here.

3:07

She shares with us why when she

3:09

saw that more and more of her staff

3:11

members were skeptical about the vaccine,

3:14

she decided to lead by example and

3:17

become the first person to receive a COVID

3:19

nineteen vaccine in the US.

3:28

Over the past couple of months, since March

3:31

last year, we've been

3:33

dealing with this pandemic. I have seen

3:35

a lot of suffering, a lot of pain,

3:38

a lot of debts, and

3:41

I know that beyond what

3:43

is recommended by the CDC

3:46

in terms of the spread of the virus,

3:49

but in terms of eradicate in the virus,

3:51

I knew that we needed something

3:54

more than that. When

3:58

the smallpox era, it was a vaccination

4:01

that really let us out of that dark

4:03

era. So I know that a vaccination

4:06

would be what is needed

4:08

to help us get out of this dark

4:11

time that we now find ourselves in globally.

4:16

I got a call on December the

4:18

evening asking if I was still

4:21

interested in taking the vaccine,

4:24

and without hesitation, I said

4:26

absolutely, I am ready.

4:28

I have been ready. So

4:31

my chief nurse and officer told

4:33

me that the vaccine was

4:35

scheduled to arrive in New York and

4:37

specifically at north Well Health

4:40

and at Long Island Jewish Medical

4:42

Center. So she said, if

4:44

you're still interested in show up at eight

4:46

o'clock. She said, you know,

4:48

I don't know how it's going to work, but I

4:51

suspect that the governor might be there

4:53

and they may ask you a few questions

4:55

about why you decided to take the

4:57

vaccine. So I show

5:00

up with my arms ready

5:02

to go. Could not wait to get that

5:04

shot. The vaccination

5:07

happened thanks to Dr Chester

5:10

was very gentle and if you notice,

5:12

I didn't flinch. I was so ready for

5:14

this moment. After

5:17

that, I said to my administrator,

5:20

thank you very much. I feel

5:22

so lucky. I am grateful. I can't believe

5:24

this moment is here. I will

5:26

see you later. And he said where are

5:28

you going? And I said back to work

5:30

and he said, no, you're not. And

5:33

I said what do you mean. He said, well,

5:35

the press is here and they want to speak to you.

5:37

So the eleven o'clock

5:40

press conference happened, and then there was

5:42

one after. And my

5:44

mom didn't know I was getting vaccinated,

5:47

so she started getting calls from

5:49

news outlets and she

5:51

calls my brother after not being able to

5:53

get me, to find out what is going

5:55

on. Is Sandra in trouble? Wise?

5:58

CNN calling here? So he turned

6:00

on the TV and my face and

6:03

the vaccination process is all

6:05

over the news, So then he realized

6:08

what was really happening. Minor

6:11

side effects such as fever, chills,

6:13

or fatigue, can be experienced

6:15

after receiving a dose of any of the vaccines.

6:18

Like many Americans, Sandra had no

6:20

noticeable side effects from her first injection,

6:23

but a rather curious reaction to

6:25

the second. I

6:29

got the second vaccine on January

6:31

four, and well,

6:34

same thing. I've braced

6:36

myself nothing.

6:38

Instead, I got energy.

6:40

I was so energized. I went for a nice

6:43

long run the next day. You

6:45

know, I felt grateful and

6:47

and just really lucky to

6:49

have this experience. So I have not had any

6:52

side effects, similarly to some of

6:54

the participants in the study who did

6:56

not have side effects. Now,

6:58

some of my colleagues who have taken the

7:01

vaccine after the second dose, they

7:04

noted mild fever, feeling

7:06

we kind of just wiped out. Some

7:09

people describe it as foggy,

7:12

but all which lasted less than

7:14

twenty four hours. And I can tell

7:16

you that compared to what

7:18

I have seen, that pales

7:21

in comparison to actually

7:24

get in COVID. Sandra

7:30

knows a number of fellow Black Americans who

7:32

have reservations about the vaccines,

7:34

but even as a medical professional who

7:37

realizes their importance, her

7:39

message to those skeptical folks in her community

7:41

is one of understanding and recognition.

7:46

I think that people in the black community have

7:49

legitimate concerns that I never

7:51

tried to dismiss. For people

7:53

who are hesitant because of historical

7:56

harmful events like the Tuskegee

7:59

study, my answer

8:01

to a personal references that study

8:04

is, when I look at

8:06

that study, it was never meant

8:08

to help anyone. It was set

8:11

up to harm right up front. So

8:14

I first want to acknowledge that

8:16

your hesitancy is real, and

8:20

I want you to know that, as a

8:22

black woman, I also grappled

8:24

with those same sentiments

8:26

in the past. And I apologize

8:29

to you for

8:31

any pain and suffering that you

8:34

went through personally or a

8:36

family member went through or

8:38

continues to go through because

8:41

of harmful practices or

8:44

disparities in healthcare. I'll

8:47

also say to you that I

8:49

have witness disproportionately

8:52

how this virus is taking

8:54

our lives as minorities.

8:57

So I would appeal to you

9:00

to rethink your position and

9:03

come to an informed decision. And

9:06

I think also as a society,

9:08

in order to build that trust,

9:11

which is going to take time, that

9:14

we alleviate some of the

9:16

burdens moving forward, meaning that

9:19

we have access points

9:21

readily available to people

9:24

in the black community who

9:26

are hesitant because of distrustful

9:28

practices, that in order to build

9:31

back trust, we need to make

9:33

sure that we alleviate

9:35

some of the burdens moving forward and

9:38

address the underlying issues, not

9:41

just now with the vaccine, but moving

9:43

forward. A

9:45

lot of my time is spent

9:48

watching and listening and

9:50

learning that was really

9:53

important from me so I

9:55

could make an informed decision

9:57

don't listen to hear say

10:00

what's on social media. I was supposed

10:02

to turn into a ghost by now, but

10:04

I am still here and you know

10:07

I'm doing well. Everything has

10:10

risk and benefits, so you

10:12

have to personally weigh out the risk

10:14

yourself and the benefits.

10:16

But from what I have seen,

10:19

the risk of getting COVID is

10:21

real. At the moment, we have

10:23

people around us that are carrying this

10:25

virus that we don't even know because they're

10:28

not symptomatic. I've seen

10:30

the consequences of getting

10:32

COVID firsthand. What I'm

10:34

afraid of is COVID. I

10:37

am not afraid of the vaccine.

10:44

Like Sandra Lindsay, Dr Marcella

10:47

Nona Smith knows that many Black

10:49

Americans are hesitant about getting vaccinated

10:51

against COVID nineteen, and she understands

10:54

the reasons behind their reluctance. It's

10:57

not just because they're grappling with questions

10:59

surrounding the unprecedented speed

11:01

of the vaccine's development, the new

11:03

m r n A technology, and the

11:05

possible long term side effects of these vaccines

11:08

for black people. There's more to it

11:11

here. In the United States, we have

11:14

a disgraceful history of racist

11:16

treatment and medical care from

11:18

the Tuskegee Syphilis experiment to

11:21

implicit bias and healthcare to

11:23

long establish structural inequities,

11:26

and that poor treatment has led many people

11:29

in the black community to distrust

11:31

what they hear and see from scientists and

11:33

medical experts. Dr

11:35

Marcella now Nees Smith is an epidemiologist

11:38

and public health specialists who

11:40

went on to become Associate Dean for

11:42

Health Equity Research at Yale School

11:45

of Medicine and an adviser on

11:47

President Biden's COVID nineteen response

11:49

team. Throughout her career,

11:52

Dr Noones Smith has focused her research

11:54

on health and healthcare equity for

11:57

marginalized communities and is

11:59

one of the leading experts in the US on

12:01

disparities and health care access. Doctor

12:04

Nowoness Smith has been watching the pandemic

12:06

unfold since day one and as

12:08

quick to point out the disproportionate burden

12:11

that people of color are facing in the battle

12:13

against COVID nineteen. She's seen

12:15

COVID nineteen killed twice as many black

12:18

older adults as white older

12:20

adults. She knows she is facing

12:22

a monumental challenge, and she's determined

12:24

to tackle the health disparities that Black Americans

12:27

are facing every day in the pandemic. While

12:30

more than thirteen percent of Americans identify

12:32

as Black or African American, black

12:35

Americans make up less than seven

12:37

percent of people who have been vaccinated

12:39

against COVID nineteen so far. Dr

12:42

Noones Smith is committed to closing

12:45

that gap and making sure that Black

12:47

Americans get the protection they need against

12:49

a disease that has infected

12:51

more than twenty eight million Americans

12:54

and killed more than half a million. Let's

12:56

hear what she has to say.

13:02

I've been a practicing internal medicine doctor

13:04

for about two decades, and

13:09

certainly one of the things I learned early on

13:11

as a medical student and going through my residency

13:13

and training is that when we look at our

13:15

patients in the hospital, so much of what

13:18

lands them there has to do with things outside

13:21

of what we can do with medications,

13:23

and has a lot to do with social economic

13:25

realities, particularly for our patients

13:28

of color. And that's been very motivating

13:30

for me and launched a research career that

13:33

I've been really excited to pursue at

13:35

Yale University, trying to get at

13:37

the root cause of a lot of these social

13:40

structural inequities in our communities.

13:43

You know, the COVID nineteen pandemic the

13:45

corresponding economic crisis are just devastating

13:48

Black communities. While Black

13:50

Americans are cent of the U

13:52

S population, overall, they represent

13:54

nearly twenty four percent of age adjusted

13:57

COVID nineteen deaths. You know,

13:59

our country is a a very hopeful moment.

14:01

We're looking ahead to increase vaccine supply,

14:04

and we're continuing to make great and

14:06

important steps to get the pandemic under control.

14:09

But the reality is the early data indicate

14:11

the Black Americans are getting vaccinated or

14:14

rates below their representation in the general

14:16

population. You know, that's why seeing

14:18

people like Sandra is just so important.

14:20

It's critical for black leaders

14:23

to step up to be role models at this

14:25

time. Sandra Lindsay is a perfect example of

14:27

that. She's a trusted leader in her community

14:30

and someone working on the front line of the crisis

14:32

as a critical care nurse. You know, some

14:34

people have questions about the vaccines,

14:36

and they need their questions answered by people

14:39

they know, people they trust. It's

14:41

also important for everyone to see people who understand

14:43

science rolling up their sleeves and getting

14:46

vaccinated. It's a powerful

14:48

message that we're sending when we do that about the safety

14:50

and efficacy of the vaccines. Dr

14:55

Nona Smith is in the unique position

14:57

both as a Black American and an expert

15:00

in the field, to point out some of the reasons

15:02

why exactly other Black Americans

15:04

may be hesitant to get vaccinated and

15:06

what we can do about it. One

15:09

of the realities that we are confronting

15:11

is we really have an underrepresentation

15:13

across our healthcare workforce. And when we

15:15

look at the proportion of African

15:17

Americans and our general society

15:20

around but yes, still physicians

15:22

around four to five percent. So it's another call

15:24

to action for us to really

15:27

invest more in diversifying

15:29

our healthcare workforce, not just our doctors,

15:31

but also our nurses, urp is, our pharmacist,

15:34

everyone. It's critical that

15:36

people feel connected with the providers

15:39

that they see, and having a diverse provider

15:41

workforce will help get us there. It's

15:46

key when we're talking with communities

15:49

that that we distinguish. You know,

15:51

what's different now than before

15:54

when we saw a Tuskegee Henrietta

15:57

Lacks. I mean, sadly, the list

15:59

goes on and for a lot

16:01

of people, you know, they don't have to look even

16:04

that far back. Right, even though that's

16:06

still contem very history. People

16:08

have challenges now trying to access healthcare,

16:11

trying to feel respected well treated

16:13

within healthcare systems, and so

16:15

that drives a lot of the concerns

16:17

that people have. But clinical research,

16:20

now, you know, it's so different. There are

16:22

ethical guidelines in place that

16:24

prevent something like the repeat of Tuskeekeee.

16:27

We see diverse representation in

16:29

who is leading research, who is leading

16:32

on policy. The

16:34

vaccines were all tested in very large

16:36

clinical trials. You know, we have about of

16:39

US participants in late stage trials

16:41

who identified as Hispanic,

16:43

African American, Asian, or Native American.

16:45

About half were older adults. No

16:47

one is getting targeted separate

16:50

from anyone else. This is about vaccinating

16:52

our entire country, getting

16:54

safe and effective vaccines into every

16:56

neighborhood, every community, and every

16:58

family. Every

17:01

study, every phase of every trial

17:04

was carefully reviewed and approved by

17:06

an independent data and safety monitoring

17:08

board at the FDA. Those processes

17:10

are transparent and the federal

17:12

government has a robust system to monitor

17:15

safety over time. We

17:17

should feel really confident in the processes

17:19

that got us to this point. You

17:22

know, I hear from lots of folks asking about side

17:24

effects of the vaccines. It's a great

17:26

question. I think it's important for everyone

17:29

to know what to expect when taking the vaccines.

17:31

You know, such a soreness at the injection

17:33

site, and as evidence it's working,

17:36

you might develop fever, chills, body

17:38

aches. Those resolved in a day or two.

17:41

I think it's also important to speak to some of the

17:43

misinformation and disinformation that's

17:45

out there. You know, the m R and A vaccines

17:48

do not alter your body's DNA and

17:50

there is no evidence the vaccines cause

17:52

in fertility. Dr

17:55

now Nea Smith has also had a personal

17:57

experience with friends and family who

17:59

are still not convinced. Like

18:01

Sandra Lindsay, she takes a patient

18:04

hypathetic approach, one rooted

18:06

in a deep understanding of their concerns.

18:10

One of my really good friends, and this

18:12

has happened multiple times. You know, I've had friends

18:15

and colleagues who are physicians who have texted

18:17

me and asked me questions and said, hey, I'm on the

18:19

fence about getting vaccinated.

18:22

You know, these conversations. I think it's so important

18:24

we take our time, we talk to people one

18:26

on one, um make sure we hear

18:28

what questions are answered. We should not make assumptions

18:31

that people who have concerns

18:33

are uneducated or

18:36

otherwise unable to understand

18:38

the science behind vaccine and vaccine

18:40

development. We really have to just

18:42

respect and be respectful of the

18:44

questions everyone has. You know,

18:47

I'm grateful to have been vaccinated and

18:49

have had both shots at this point, and everybody

18:51

in my family who is eligible to have encouraged

18:53

them. My own mom has gotten vaccinated,

18:56

and all these colleagues and physicians now

18:58

have gotten their questions answer, and I have

19:00

gotten vaccinated, and in fact our writing out

19:02

eds and really taking that message out.

19:05

It's just key for those who are still on the

19:07

fence to understand the power of vaccination.

19:10

You know, my advice is get vaccinated.

19:12

All COVID nineteen vaccines currently

19:15

available in the United States have been shown

19:17

to be highly effective at preventing what

19:19

we really care about, which is severe

19:22

illness, hospitalization, and death from COVID

19:24

nineteen. The

19:27

concerns that some Black Americans in particular

19:29

have, um you know, are completely understandable

19:32

when we think about history and and

19:34

actually even contemporary examples

19:36

of racist treatment. It really

19:38

does reflect longstanding, deeply rooted

19:40

systemic realities. Precisely

19:43

why equities at the center of the Bid and Harris Administration's

19:45

pandemic response. The federal Administration

19:48

is working with states and localities to support

19:50

their efforts in equitable vaccine distribution

19:53

and highlighting best and promising practicing

19:55

when states are doing this well. And we've

19:58

also launched a series of federally run firts

20:00

with a substantial focus on making sure

20:03

vaccination sites are located in

20:05

the communities hit the hardest by this pandemic.

20:08

And we do that based on measures such as the

20:10

CDC's own Social Vulnerability Index.

20:13

You know, we have our community vaccination centers.

20:15

Those are mass vaccination sites, but also

20:18

sites that can be stood up in school gyms in our

20:20

neighborhoods. Many of those

20:22

centers also have mobile capacity.

20:24

We've supported or created nearly four

20:26

hundred mobile vaccination sites, and those

20:29

are designed specifically to get vaccines

20:31

to people who might be hard to reach. You

20:33

know, we've launched a retail pharmacy program as

20:35

well as a partnership with community health centers

20:37

across the country to further extend

20:39

vaccine availability through trusted entities

20:42

in communities. We're working

20:44

with community and faith based organizations

20:47

as well as state and local officials to optimize

20:49

the reach of all these programs, making

20:51

sure registration is straightforward and

20:54

that there are extended hours of access as just examples.

20:57

The Biden Harris administration is fully committed

20:59

to ensuring quitable access to vaccination

21:01

for everyone in the country.

21:10

In talking with Sanjo Lindsay and Dr Noones

21:12

Smith, it's important to note that both

21:14

healthcare workers emphasize how

21:16

important it is to listen to the experts

21:19

and turn to the trustworthy science behind

21:21

the COVID nineteen vaccines. This

21:24

is the same advice echoed by all leaders

21:26

across the medical community, including

21:28

folks like Dr Anthony Fauci,

21:30

the director of the National Institute of Allergy

21:33

and Infectious Diseases, and Dr Francis

21:35

Collins, director of the National Institutes

21:37

of Health. Vaccinations are now

21:40

rolling out throughout the United States. When

21:42

it's your turn, please don't delay.

21:45

Follow Sandra Lindsay's lead and

21:47

join millions of your fellow Americans

21:49

by scheduling your vaccination appointment

21:52

as soon as you can. The

21:57

CDC has recommendations for who should

21:59

bevaccinated first, and every state

22:02

has its own vaccine rollout plan based

22:04

on your age, health conditions, and

22:06

risk of exposure. To get

22:08

vaccinated, go to CDC dot

22:11

gov forward slash coronavirus

22:14

and scroll down to the middle of the page to click

22:16

on the word vaccines. From

22:18

there, click on Vaccine

22:20

Finder, and the site will help

22:22

you determine where you can get the vaccine

22:25

and how to make an appointment. You

22:27

don't have to worry about paying for your vaccine.

22:29

Your taxpayer dollars are funding the

22:31

rollout, so there's no individual cost

22:34

to you. If someone asks you to provide

22:36

your insurance information, that's only

22:38

so your vaccination provider can build your

22:40

insurance for the administrative costs,

22:43

but you will not be personally responsible

22:46

for any expenses. I'd

22:48

like to thank our guest Sanjuel Lindsay

22:50

and Dr new Nes Smith for sharing

22:52

their stories and insights with us today. I

22:55

hope that you'll tune in next week when we talk

22:57

about how vaccines went from development

22:59

in to the arms of Americans in less

23:01

than just a year's time. COVID

23:09

nineteen immunity in our community was

23:11

developed and paid for by the U. S Department

23:13

of Health and Human Services, part of

23:15

a public education campaign to

23:17

increase public confidence in COVID nineteen

23:20

vaccines while reinforcing

23:22

basic prevention measures. We

23:24

Can Do This, presented

23:26

by iHeart Radio and ABC News.

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This podcast is hosted by me Robin

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Roberts. This episode was executive

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produced by Ethan Fixel, written

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by Stephanie Thuratt, and engineered,

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edited, and mixed by my Man Matt

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Stillo, with original theme music

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by Brad Kemp. If you haven't already

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subscribed, rated, or reviewed COVID nineteen

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Immunity in Our Community, please

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do so on the I Heart Radio app, Apple

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Podcast, or wherever you get your podcasts until

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our next episode. I'm Robin Roberts

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and this is COVID nineteen Immunity

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in Our Community. Thank you for listening.

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H