Some doctors and nurses at Northwell Health are starting to get their third dose of Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine.
The booster shot is not available for the general public yet, but it is being given to front-line workers, the elderly and those who are immunocompromised.
Sandra Lindsay made history in December of 2020 when she received the first Food and Drug Administration-approved Pfizer vaccine in New Hyde Park.
Lindsay, along with two other individuals, received their boosters today during a news conference.
"I was committed to being part of the solution," Lindsay says. "I am still committed."
Immunity from Pfizer’s vaccine begins to wane after six to eight months, with antibody levels coming down varying amounts for different groups of people.
The extra shot boosts the immune system back up.
Northwell Health Chief Medical Officer Dr. David Battinelli says some people could be reluctant to get the booster vaccine because they say the science is always changing.
“That’s the definition of science,” Battinelli says. “I mean you can either have fixed beliefs not based on evidence or you can have beliefs based on the real data and to people who say, ‘when the fact changes, what do you do?’ Well, I change my mind.”
While some Long Islanders say they are ready to get a third shot as soon as its available, others still haven’t gotten the first two doses.
“The science is not that clear,” says Floral Park resident Eddie Espinal. “They want you to get it but they’re not telling you what’s happening to the people. We’re not getting that, but I see it. My family just went through it.”
Doctors say the booster is the same vaccine and the same dosage as the first two shots.
Pfizer is the only vaccine approved for boosters.
The Food and Drug Administration is scheduled to meet with its outside advisory group next Thursday and Friday to discuss boosters for the Moderna and Johnson & Johnson vaccines.