Smithsonian Collects COVID-19 Artifacts

March 9, 2021 by TWN Staff
Smithsonian Collects COVID-19 Artifacts
Sandra Lindsay, left, a nurse at Long Island Jewish Medical Center, is inoculated with the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine by Dr. Michelle Chester, Monday, Dec. 14, 2020, in the Queens borough of New York. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan, Pool)

WASHINGTON – The Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History has aquired the vial that contained the first dose of COVID-19 vaccine administered in the United States as part of its plans to document the global pandemic and “this extraordinary period we were going through.”

The first doses of vaccine were administered Dec. 14 by Northwell Health, a New York-based health provider. The World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a pandemic March 11, 2020.

Sandra Lindsay, an intensive care nurse with Northwell Health, was the first person known to receive the vaccine in the U.S.

Northwell donated the now-empty Pfizer-BioNTech vial that contained the first dose, as well as Lindsay’s vaccination record card, scrubs and hospital identification badge.

The acquisition further includes additional vials from doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines administered at Northwell, as well as the supplies needed to prepare, inject and track the vaccinations, such as diluent, syringes and vaccination record cards.

Northwell also donated shipping materials that document the enormous effort required to support vaccine distribution and preserve vaccine potency, such as a specialized vaccine “shipper” that monitors and maintains temperature.

“The urgent need for effective vaccines in the U.S. was met with unprecedented speed and emergency review and approval,” said Anthea M. Hartig, the museum’s Elizabeth MacMillan director. “These now historic artifacts document not only this remarkable scientific progress but represent the hope offered to millions living through the cascading crises brought on by COVID-19.”

“Dec. 14 was a historic moment for all: the day the very first COVID-19 vaccine was administered in the United States,” said Michael Dowling, president and CEO of Northwell Health. “It was our first real sign of hope after so many dark months in the fight against the global pandemic. Northwell was prepared to put shots in arms as soon as the vaccine arrived, not to make history but to protect our frontline workers battling COVID-19 as quickly as possible.

“But when Sandra Lindsay rolled up her sleeve, we weren’t just showing our team members the safety and efficacy of this groundbreaking vaccine—we were telling the world that our country was beginning a new fight back to normalcy. It was an extraordinary moment, and I thank the Smithsonian for preserving this important milestone,” Dowling said.

In April 2020, the museum formed a rapid-response collecting task force to address the COVID-19 pandemic and document the scientific and medical events as well as the effects and responses in the areas of business, work, politics and culture.

Due to health and safety protocols, the museum is only able to bring a limited number of artifacts into the building. Additional artifacts related to the pandemic will be brought in and processed when the museum returns to full operation.

The museum’s staff also canvassed the nation, asking what it should collect to document this pandemic. The public can continue to make suggestions at [email protected] and share their Stories of 2020 at a site that will serve as a digital time capsule for future generations. The portal, open through April, will accept stories in English or Spanish and photos or short video.

A+
a-
  • COVID-19
  • National Museum of American History
  • Pfizer-BioNTech
  • Smithsonian
  • In The News

    Health

    Voting

    Museums

    April 18, 2025
    by Tom Ramstack
    Democrats in Congress Demand Retraction of Trump’s Order on Smithsonian Museums

    WASHINGTON — U.S. House Democrats asked in a letter Thursday that the Trump administration abandon the president’s order that would... Read More

    WASHINGTON — U.S. House Democrats asked in a letter Thursday that the Trump administration abandon the president’s order that would rewrite the way the Smithsonian Institution portrays American history. President Donald Trump issued an executive order in March telling the Smithsonian Institution to eliminate the negative... Read More

    Plans to Celebrate America's 250th Anniversary Were Underway. Then Came the Federal Funding Cuts

    WASHINGTON (AP) — Community celebrations being planned to commemorate the nation's 250th anniversary next year are at risk of being significantly scaled... Read More

    WASHINGTON (AP) — Community celebrations being planned to commemorate the nation's 250th anniversary next year are at risk of being significantly scaled back or canceled because of federal funding cuts under President Donald Trump's administration, according to multiple state humanities councils across the country. The councils have been working on... Read More

    March 28, 2025
    by Dan McCue
    Trump Seeks to Strike ‘Distorted’ American History From Smithsonian Institution

    WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump on Thursday directed Vice President JD Vance to oversee an effort to eliminate “divisive narratives”... Read More

    WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump on Thursday directed Vice President JD Vance to oversee an effort to eliminate “divisive narratives” and “divisive race-centered ideology” from the Smithsonian museums, affiliated education and research centers and the National Zoo. The directive came in the form of an executive... Read More

    August 6, 2024
    by Dan McCue
    ‘Sensory Flexible’ Night at JFK Presidential Library Breaks New Ground for Inclusion

    BOSTON — The John F. Kennedy Presidential Library is no stranger to the idea that small steps by a few... Read More

    BOSTON — The John F. Kennedy Presidential Library is no stranger to the idea that small steps by a few can lead to huge strides for everyone. After all, the institution on the banks of Boston’s Dorchester Harbor is dedicated to preserving the memory of the... Read More

    June 18, 2024
    by Lauren Zola
    Library of Congress Launches 'Collective Memories' Exhibit

    WASHINGTON — The nation’s oldest federal cultural institution, the Library of Congress, opened a new exhibition last week featuring rare... Read More

    WASHINGTON — The nation’s oldest federal cultural institution, the Library of Congress, opened a new exhibition last week featuring rare artifacts from its voluminous trove of largely unseen national treasures. The exhibition comprises an extensive collection of images, diaries, voice recordings, manuscripts, photographs, art, books and... Read More

    September 29, 2023
    by Dan McCue
    National Zoo Saying Goodbye to Giant Pandas

    WASHINGTON — It is the end of an era at the Smithsonian National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute. By Dec.... Read More

    WASHINGTON — It is the end of an era at the Smithsonian National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute. By Dec. 7, Tian Tian and Mei Xiang, the giant pandas who have lived at the conservation park since 2000, and their 3-year-old cub Xiao Qi Ji, will... Read More

    News From The Well
    scroll top