Smithsonian collects first COVID vaccine vial used in United States for exhibit

A vial used to administer the first COVID-19 vaccine dose in the United States will be part of an exhibit on the pandemic at the Smithsonian Institution.

The National Museum of American History also acquired the vaccination card of Sandra Lindsay, a New York nurse who on Dec. 14 became the first person in the United States to be vaccinated against the coronavirus.

“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,” Anthea M. Hartig, the museum’s Elizabeth MacMillan Director, said in a statement.

Northwell Health, which administered the first doses of vaccine, also donated empty vials of Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines, syringes, shipping materials and other items.

“It was our first real sign of hope after so many dark months in the fight against the global pandemic,” said Michael Dowling, president and CEO of Northwell Health.

The donated items will join the museum’s collection of health- and medicine-related artifacts, the museum says, including “penicillin mold from Alexander Fleming, Jonas Salk’s original polio vaccine, early genetically engineered drugs and 19th-century patent medicines.”

The museum says it is working on a new 3,500-square-foot exhibit titled “In Sickness and in Health” that details American efforts to contain, control and cure diseases.

More than 117 million cases of COVID-19 have been confirmed worldwide with more than 2.6 million deaths as of March 9, according to Johns Hopkins University. The United States has more than 29 million confirmed cases with more than 524,000 deaths.

This story was originally published March 9, 2021 at 9:06 AM with the headline "Smithsonian collects first COVID vaccine vial used in United States for exhibit."