Just over a year after COVID-19 vaccines were first made available in the United States, The Washington Post and the Associated Press this morning placed the spotlight back on Jamaican-American nurse Sandra Lindsay who they described as becoming a vaccine celebrity by accident.

In the article, written by Lindsey Tanner for the Associated Press and published in the Post, it was noted that, since being hailed as the first person in the United States to get a COVID-19 vaccine, Lindsay has become a prominent face in the country’s biggest-ever vaccination campaign.

She has been promoting the shots on panels, in Zoom town halls and at other events, the AP said.

“I encourage people to speak to experts who can answer their questions, to access trusted science. I let them know that it’s OK to ask questions,” the AP quoted Lindsay, who has spoken at events in the US and Jamaica.

Lindsay got her shot in a widely televised moment on December 14, 2020, as the US kicked off its vaccination effort.

After getting emergency use authorisation from the Food and Drug Administration just days before, the first shipments of COVID-19 vaccines had been arriving at hospitals for high-risk health care workers.

The report noted that it was a tough time for Lindsay, who saw the impact of COVID-19 up close at Northwell Health’s Long Island Jewish Medical Center in Queens.

“I just felt broken, defeated, just tired and burned out,’’ Lindsay, director of critical care nursing at the hospital, told The AP.

“Witnessing the overwhelming loss of lives, loss of livelihoods.’’

When Northwell Health asked for volunteers to get the shots, Lindsay just “happened to go first” among those raised their hands.

Her receiving the shot was aired on TV, and she became widely regarded as the first American to get the shot outside of a clinical trial.

Since then, the AP report indicated, Lindsay has been recognised by US President Joe Biden as an “Outstanding American by Choice,” a US Citizenship and Immigration Services programme that recognises citizens who have been naturalised.

With the arrival of the Omicron variant and new surges around the country, the AP said Lindsay is still addressing fears and misinformation, with some persons even mistakenly believing the shots aren’t needed if they eat well and exercise.

Others say the vaccines are a way for the government to track people, or an experiment on Black people.

Earlier this year, Lindsay appeared in an interview for Jamaica’s Office of the Prime Minister as part of the country’s efforts to boost vaccine take up across the island.

Back in the US, she said she acknowledges the mistrust in communities of colour, which stems from past history. But she reassures people by noting she did her own research before getting her shot, and that there are safeguards in place.

“We’ve had millions and millions of people around the world get vaccinated without any significant adverse event,’’ she said.

She also stressed that getting a shot will help protect others.

Some worries, like fear of needles, can be easier to address, she said.

After children became eligible for the vaccines, the AP said Lindsay offered comfort to a nine-year-old girl getting her shot at the hospital. She had to decline the girl’s request to vaccinate her since she’s not a pediatric nurse, but offered to hold her hand — and did.

Later, Lindsay got a letter from the girl saying how much the gesture had meant.

Looking back, Lindsay said she’s grateful for the role she’s been able to play: “It’s very rewarding to hear people come up to me and say, ‘Thank you very much. You’ve inspired me to get vaccinated’.”