12 DECEMBER 17, 2020 RIDGEWOOD TIMES WWW.QNS.COM
Believe in science; take the vaccine
Moments after becoming the
first New Yorker to receive
the FDA-approved COVID-19
vaccine in front of a national audience
just before 9:30 a.m. Monday
morning, Queens health care worker
Sandra Lindsey said she felt good —
and hopeful for the future.
The vaccine, described by Governor
Andrew Cuomo as “the weapon
that will end the war” against
COVID-19, is finally making the
rounds through the health care and
nursing home communities. The
rest of us should be able to get it in
a few months, and the end of this
nightmare pandemic will not be far
behind.
But doubt over the vaccine, and
the science involved, remains among
too many Americans — and Lindsey
used her opportunity to speak to the
city, state and country to deliver a
simple yet powerful message in her
post-vaccination remarks.
“I believe in science. As a nurse, my
practice is guided by science and so
I trust that,” Lindsey said. “What I
don’t trust is that, if I contract COVID,
I don’t know how it would impact
EDITORIAL
THE HOT TOPIC
STORY:
First female commanding officer
appointed to Long Island City’s 108th
Precinct
SUMMARY:
Captain Lavonda Wise on Dec. 9 was
appointed as the commanding offi cer of
the 108th Precinct, which serves Long
Island City, Sunnyside and Woodside.
REACH:
4,017 (as of 12/14/20)
ESTABLISHED 1908
Co-Publishers
VICTORIA SCHNEPS-YUNIS
JOSHUA SCHNEPS
Editor-in-Chief
ZACHARY GEWELB
Classifi ed Manager
DEBORAH CUSICK
Assistant Classifi ed Manager
MARLENE RUIZ
Reporters
ANGELICA ACEVEDO
JACOB KAYE
CARLOTTA MOHAMED
BILL PARRY
© 2020 SCHNEPS NY MEDIA, LLC.
General Publication Offi ce: 38-15 Bell Blvd.,
Bayside, NY 11361
TELEPHONE: 1-718-260-4535
FAX: 1-718-224-5441
E-MAIL: editorial@ridgewoodtimes.com
WEB SITE: www.qns.com
ON TWITTER @ridgewoodtimes
PUBLISHED EVERY THURSDAY
FOR 110 YEARS
COMPOSITION RESPONSIBILITY: Accuracy in receiving
ads over the telephone cannot be guaranteed. This
newspaper is responsible for only one incorrect insertion
and only for that portion of the ad in which the error
appears. It is the responsibility of the advertiser to make
sure copy does not contravene the Consumer Protection
Law or any other requirement. TIMES NEWSWEEKLY Is
Listed With The Standard Rate & Data And Is A Member
Of The New York Press Association
We cannot fear the unknown of possible side eff ects of COVID-19, none of which have been proven serious or
long-lasting to this point. Photo by Dean Moses
me or those who I come in contact
with, so I encourage everyone to take
the vaccine.”
For months during this pandemic,
Lindsey — as an intensive care nurse
at Northwell Health — experienced
the horrors of COVID-19 firsthand,
with patient after patient arriving
in the ward, desperate for breath
and life.
All the while, she and her colleagues
provide the best care they
could, with the best knowledge available
— while putting themselves
at the risk of COVID-19 infection
themselves. They’ve seen recoveries;
they’ve seen tragic losses.
Yet they persist and keep fighting
the fight few of us would dare to encounter
— their actions not unlike a
cop running toward an armed gunman,
or a firefighter racing toward
a burning building.
We owe it to the health care professionals
on the front lines, as much as
we owe it to ourselves and the people
we care about, to do as Lindsey said:
to “believe in science” and get the
COVID-19 vaccine when it’s finally
available.
We cannot listen to the untruths
of anti-vaxxers. We cannot fear
the unknown regarding possible
side effects of the vaccine, none of
which have been proven serious or
long-lasting to this point.
Let’s put an end to the massive
death and pain of COVID-19. Let’s
protect ourselves, our loved ones,
our health care heroes.
Let’s believe in science.
/WWW.QNS.COM
/www.qns.com
link
/www.qns.com
link
