People over 75, front-line essential workers should get vaccine next, CDC panel says

A Kentucky doctor who was among the first Americans to receive a COVID-19 vaccine outside a clinical trial this week encouraged others to get immunized as soon as possible but also warned against any "false sense of security."

Dr. Valerie Briones-Pryor, who primarily works with hospitalized COVID-19 patients at University of Louisville Health in Kentucky's largest city, said she was elated to find out that she would be one of the first five Americans to receive the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine, which was authorized for emergency use in the United States last week.

"I tear up just thinking about it because I finally felt like we had something, that we had one leg up on this nasty virus that doesn't care, that wants to hurt everybody, hurt my loved ones," Briones-Pryor told "Start Here," ABC News' daily news podcast.

Briones-Pryor said she feels fine and immediately returned to work after receiving the shot on Monday but is continuing to practice public health measures.

"Because I know that the rest of the community and my colleagues still haven't received the vaccine yet, my patients haven't received the vaccine yet, the more important it is that I stay vigilant about masking, social distancing, washing my hands and not being cavalier with what I do," she said. "Just because we have the vaccine, we still have to do the right thing."

"You still want to set an example for others, because there's a false sense of security that I'm vaccinated," she added. "But I can still carry things around."

This report was featured in the Tuesday, Dec. 15, 2020, episode of “Start Here,” ABC News’ daily news podcast.

"Start Here" offers a straightforward look at the day's top stories in 20 minutes. Listen for free every weekday on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, the ABC News app or wherever you get your podcasts.

Maritza Beniquez celebrated her birthday Tuesday by becoming the first person in New Jersey to receive a COVID-19 vaccine outside of a clinical trial.

Beniquez, a nurse at University Hospital in Newark who is a single mother and first-generation Puerto Rican, clasped her hands in prayer as she was administered the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine on live television.

"Thank you, God!" she said. "I'm very excited. This moment means everything."

ABC News' Aaron Katersky contributed to this report.

Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation's top infectious disease expert, said the rollout of COVID-19 vaccine doses across the country is "bittersweet" because "we still have a struggle ahead of us."

"We are still in a terrible situation with the numbers ... the deaths, the hospitalizations, the number of cases," Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, told ABC News chief anchor George Stephanopoulos in an interview Tuesday on "Good Morning America."

"And yet, we're really now starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel that is going to ultimately get us through this. We know we're going to be able to put this behind us," he added. "But in the meantime, we still have a struggle ahead of us. So we've got to get people vaccinated as quickly and as expeditiously as we possibly can."

Fauci said he believes 75% to 80% of the U.S. population will need to be vaccinated in order to achieve a "herd immunity" against the novel coronavirus. Until then, he said, "we have to adhere to the public health measures in order to blunt the acceleration of these terrible numbers that we hear everyday."

Fauci, who is a key member of the current White House coronavirus task force, said the speed with which the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine was developed and authorized "was not at all at the sacrifice of safety," but rather is "the reflection of extraordinary advances in the science of vaccine platform technology."

"People are understandably skeptical about the speed," he added, "but we have to keep emphasizing, speed means the science was extraordinary that got us here."

Fauci, who will stay on in his role and be a chief medical adviser on the coronavirus pandemic in President-elect Joe Biden's incoming administration, said he believes both Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris should get vaccinated as soon as possible.

"For security reasons, I really feel strongly that we should get them vaccinated as soon as we possibly can," he said. "You want him fully protected as he enters into the presidency in January, so that would be my strong recommendation."

When asked about whether he thinks President Donald Trump should be vaccinated, Fauci said he would recommend that Trump as well as Vice President Mike Pence get the shot.

"You still want to protect people who are, you know, very important to our country right now," he said. "Even though the president himself was infected and he has likely antibodies that likely would be protective, we're not sure how long that protection lasts. So to be doubly sure, I would recommend that he get vaccinated as well as the Vice President."

The New York nurse who was among the first in the nation to receive a COVID-19 vaccine outside of a clinical trial said she feels "great" so far and has "no side effects."

"I feel great," Sandra Lindsay told ABC News' Robin Roberts in an interview Tuesday on "Good Morning America."

"No pain, no feeling of tiredness, no malaise," she added. "No muscle aches. No side effects for me."

Lindsay, a critical care nurse at Long Island Jewish Medical Center in New York City, was administered the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine on live television Monday. She was the first person in the state of New York to get the shot outside of a clinical trial.

"I volunteered," she said. "I am a leader in the organization, and so I think it as incredibly important for me to lead by example like I do everyday."

Lindsay said she wanted "to send a message to people who might be on the fence that they should trust the science." She said people who were initially hesitant about getting the vaccine, including some coworkers, have since reached out to tell her how much she inspired them.

"The vaccine is safe. What is not safe is contracting COVID-19," she said. "So that was my reason, and I hope that just continues to resonate with people."