WEBVTT - Covid Lessons Learned Two Years In

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<v Speaker 1>This is Bloomberg Business Week with Carol Masser and Bloomberg

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<v Speaker 1>Quick Takes Tim Stinovic on Bloomberg Radio. All right, So,

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<v Speaker 1>as we were talking earlier, tomorrow is the second anniversary

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<v Speaker 1>of the COVID Vaccine meeting. If you can remember when

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<v Speaker 1>that was the day two years ago that the first

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<v Speaker 1>person in the the US to get that very very first vaccine,

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<v Speaker 1>COVID vaccine, was someone right here in New York State,

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<v Speaker 1>just outside New York City, and that person Dr Sandra Lindsay,

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<v Speaker 1>vice President of Public health Advocacy at Northwell Health. She

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<v Speaker 1>enjoins us right now on the phone from New Hyde Park.

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<v Speaker 1>It's good to have you back with us, Dr Lindsay.

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<v Speaker 1>How are you. I am doing sometatastic. Thank you very

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<v Speaker 1>much for having me on. You know, as I was

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<v Speaker 1>preparing for this, I was thinking back to what things

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<v Speaker 1>were like two years ago, and it's pretty remarkable because

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<v Speaker 1>even though we are still dealing with COVID, we're certainly

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<v Speaker 1>dealing with it in a different way, and we definitely

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<v Speaker 1>have the tools to go out and face the world

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<v Speaker 1>in a safer way. I'm talking about vaccines here. At

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<v Speaker 1>the same time, though, we're seeing enough ticking cases. We're

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<v Speaker 1>seeing mask uses, mask use inside coming back. How are

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<v Speaker 1>you feeling about things right now? I'm I'm feeling very

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<v Speaker 1>hopeful as I did UM on that day two years

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<v Speaker 1>ago when I got vaccinated. We have made tremendous progress.

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<v Speaker 1>We're able to you know, enjoy the things we love.

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<v Speaker 1>We're able to hug again and gather again. UM. And

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<v Speaker 1>I still feel very hopeful. Um, despite the upticking cases,

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<v Speaker 1>not to the extent that it was two years ago

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<v Speaker 1>or a year ago. UM, we're seeing fluent rs V

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<v Speaker 1>on the rise. But we have flu vaccines and we

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<v Speaker 1>now have uh, you know, a merit of COVID vaccines,

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<v Speaker 1>we have boosters. UM. We just need people to understand

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<v Speaker 1>that COVID is not finished with us yet, and so

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<v Speaker 1>we still need to act responsibly and to get ourselves protected.

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<v Speaker 1>And for those who are watching on YouTube and I

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<v Speaker 1>blew our critic, we're just showing the footage and I

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<v Speaker 1>remember seeing it on all of the news station is

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<v Speaker 1>when you got that shot. I mean it was a

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<v Speaker 1>big deal. And I think, you know, started a flow

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<v Speaker 1>of prominent people, whether it was celebrities, politicians, the president.

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<v Speaker 1>UM are Actually I don't think, I don't I don't

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<v Speaker 1>think at the time it was President Trump. No, it

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<v Speaker 1>was President Biden. Well, no, President Biden was President Biden. Okay,

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<v Speaker 1>see I'm in like a time work, um, but it

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<v Speaker 1>was you really set a tone. Tell us though, what

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<v Speaker 1>was going through your mind when you were getting that shot.

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<v Speaker 1>You know at that time, you know, having gone through

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<v Speaker 1>the pandemic and dealing with this day today just kind

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<v Speaker 1>of hardship, grief and suffering. I was just ready to

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<v Speaker 1>get vaccinated. I felt like I was walking around with

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<v Speaker 1>the world on my shoulders and this was a ray

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<v Speaker 1>of hope and I just could not wait, um to

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<v Speaker 1>get vaccinated. Mind you, I didn't go into this blindly.

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<v Speaker 1>Right soon I heard that vaccines were being developed, I

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<v Speaker 1>started reading up on everything that I could get my

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<v Speaker 1>hand on that was published that was credible. I spoke

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<v Speaker 1>to my physicians, I spoke to people that I trusted

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<v Speaker 1>before I got to that point. So when I got

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<v Speaker 1>in the room, I was at ease. I was ready.

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<v Speaker 1>Cameras around here and lights and I was paying I

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<v Speaker 1>was I was not paying attention to all of that,

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<v Speaker 1>And at that point I didn't know I was going

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<v Speaker 1>to be the first one. I just wanted to get vaccinated.

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<v Speaker 1>I just wanted to instill public confidence that look, we've

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<v Speaker 1>gone through a difficult time at dark time, and now

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<v Speaker 1>is our time to get out of this and to

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<v Speaker 1>fight back. And I just want to make mention of

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<v Speaker 1>a study that was published today that was done by

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<v Speaker 1>researchers from the Commonwealth Fund as well as Yale School

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<v Speaker 1>of Public Health that found that of the sixty five

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<v Speaker 1>six d and FI to five million doses of vaccine

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<v Speaker 1>administered to Americans in the past two years, that has

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<v Speaker 1>stopped eighteen million additional hospitalizations and three million additional debts,

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<v Speaker 1>saving the country approximately one trillion dollars. It's pretty remarkable marketable. Yeah,

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<v Speaker 1>it's absolutely remarkable. I should say, Caroline, I did you know,

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<v Speaker 1>going the way back machine, take out our calculators and

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<v Speaker 1>did the math, and we came to the conclusion that

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<v Speaker 1>if we go two years ago back to two years

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<v Speaker 1>ago today, we would still have President Trump in office.

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<v Speaker 1>But President elect Biden was the one who you know,

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<v Speaker 1>publicly got a shot U during that time. So h

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<v Speaker 1>it's hard to remember. It's been a time work. When

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<v Speaker 1>we were thinking about it was two years ago that

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<v Speaker 1>first vaccine. It's hard to imagine. I mean, I'm five

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<v Speaker 1>shots in terms of five shots, and we were just

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<v Speaker 1>trying to keep make sense of it. No, I'm four shots.

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<v Speaker 1>Oh you're four. Sorry, I'm five shots in UM. But

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<v Speaker 1>Dr Linday, this is the world we are in when

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<v Speaker 1>you got the shot. I'm assuming they were people in

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<v Speaker 1>your world, in your orbit, personally professionally who were still

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<v Speaker 1>maybe going into it uncomfortable getting the shot. Did it

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<v Speaker 1>change their mind? Oh? Absolutely, And so many people have

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<v Speaker 1>reached out to me. UM. Just this past weekend, I

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<v Speaker 1>was doing my Christmas shopping and this lady came up

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<v Speaker 1>to me and she just started saying, thank you, thank you,

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<v Speaker 1>thank you. The entire store kind of turned around and

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<v Speaker 1>looked at her, like what is she talking about. She's like,

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<v Speaker 1>thank you for you know, just instill in the confidence

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<v Speaker 1>in me and giving me the courage to go on

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<v Speaker 1>and get vaccinated. I've had people come up to me

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<v Speaker 1>and say I had made up my mind that I

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<v Speaker 1>was never ever going to get vaccinated, and just seeing

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<v Speaker 1>you they're calmly taking the vaccine and realizing that despite

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<v Speaker 1>what social media was putting out that twenty four hours later,

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<v Speaker 1>I was in an ic you that you're still here

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<v Speaker 1>with us you're still using your platform to advert hate

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<v Speaker 1>and to encourage people to do their own research, you know,

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<v Speaker 1>ask the questions that you want answered. Speak to your

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<v Speaker 1>trusted people in your life, but do something. It's good

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<v Speaker 1>to hear. Dr lindsay that you have You've had a

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<v Speaker 1>positive experience over the last couple of years when it

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<v Speaker 1>comes to people who have approached you. But I'm also wondering,

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<v Speaker 1>in the first few hours, the first few days, what

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<v Speaker 1>you experienced online, And because we have heard so much

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<v Speaker 1>about the way that people have been attacked online for

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<v Speaker 1>their views and just for for stuff they've done, what

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<v Speaker 1>did you experience? Yeah? So, um, you know, after the

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<v Speaker 1>first couple of hours after getting the vaccine, perhaps minutes, um,

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<v Speaker 1>there were people online that we're saying that I was stupid.

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<v Speaker 1>Did I not hear about the Tuskegee study, that I

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<v Speaker 1>was being used as a guinea pig? Um, I'm just

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<v Speaker 1>another example. Um, I'm being paid for this. I'm a

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<v Speaker 1>paid spokesperson for this, none of which is true. But

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<v Speaker 1>you know I don't get into fights online. Instead, I

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<v Speaker 1>just turned that around into you know, the positive. Yes,

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<v Speaker 1>I'm well educated. I know about the Tuskege study. But

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<v Speaker 1>here is what I want you to know about the

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<v Speaker 1>vaccine and how I came to my decision about getting vaccinated.

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<v Speaker 1>You know, I'm curious to at your hospital. North wall

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<v Speaker 1>Is is huge, uh in New York State, and I

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<v Speaker 1>do wonder are you seeing now an uptick in COVID

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<v Speaker 1>cases again or is it a case of maybe there's cases,

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<v Speaker 1>but they're not resulting in an uptick in hospitalizations. So

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<v Speaker 1>since the beginning of the pandemic, we have been very busy,

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<v Speaker 1>to say the least. We've taken care of over three

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<v Speaker 1>hundred and twenty thousand patients, performed more than three million

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<v Speaker 1>diagnostic tests for the virus, and have administered more than

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<v Speaker 1>seven hundred and fifty thousands vaccinations. We are seeing an uptick,

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<v Speaker 1>but not to the extent that we were two years ago,

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<v Speaker 1>and we don't have our ic use overcrowded like we

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<v Speaker 1>were two years ago. So far far less a fraction

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<v Speaker 1>less than where we were two years ago. It cannot

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<v Speaker 1>be compared, and that is thanks to vaccinations. It would

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<v Speaker 1>have been in a much different place had we not

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<v Speaker 1>have these vaccines on board. Dr Linda, it's pretty incredible

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<v Speaker 1>to see, not what you've done over your career which

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<v Speaker 1>has spent close to thirty years, but just over the

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<v Speaker 1>last two years when it comes to vaccine advocacy, you

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<v Speaker 1>were given the I should say, the Presidential Medal of

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<v Speaker 1>Freedom by President Biden earlier this year. Just in the

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<v Speaker 1>last minute that we have with you, tell us about

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<v Speaker 1>that experience and and how you felt that is just

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<v Speaker 1>a real I couldn't believe when I got the call.

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<v Speaker 1>I thought it was a prank call until I checked

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<v Speaker 1>my email and saw that this was real because it

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<v Speaker 1>was followed up with an email, And you know, immediately

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<v Speaker 1>I just thought about what it meant for me and

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<v Speaker 1>my family, which is proud, but also what it means

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<v Speaker 1>for people that I identify with immigrants, woman, black woman,

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<v Speaker 1>Caribbean woman, Jamaican and to think that, you know, in

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<v Speaker 1>my earlier years, all I dreamt of was becoming an

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<v Speaker 1>earth no one ever dreams of. Okay, I want to

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<v Speaker 1>get the Presidential Medal of Freedom one at least not me,

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<v Speaker 1>but here I here, I was getting this high honor

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<v Speaker 1>bestowed upon me. And I really just share this with

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<v Speaker 1>everyone that I mentioned that I identify with, along with

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<v Speaker 1>my health care workers as well and my nurses and

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<v Speaker 1>now your id Bagine scrubs are at the National Museum

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<v Speaker 1>of American History at the Smithsonian. It's it's pretty remarkable.

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<v Speaker 1>Dr Lindsay, always great to speak with you, to thank

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<v Speaker 1>you so much for taking the time and joining us.

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<v Speaker 1>Dr Sandra Lindsay, Vice President of Public Health Advocacy at

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<v Speaker 1>north Well Health