Jr Giddings: Joining the platform this morning. Sandra Lindsay will join us. Before we get there, Mayor Adams, what is your message to New Yorkers with growing concern over the new variant BA.5 causing this uptick in cases?

Mayor Eric Adams: Same message, vaccination, and booster shots. That has been our most potent tool. What we have done, as a city, we have led the country on how to pivot and shift. COVID is a formidable opponent, you know this program you have basically covered this for the last two and a half years, you have experts on, you have knowledgeable health care professionals, and that has been amazing how you have just constantly kept people up to date.

Mayor Adams: So, the old war that we fought two and a half years ago, we can’t use old weapons on that war. We have to use new weapons to this new war, a new variant has hit our city. We see an uptick in cases, not as deadly, because we have new tools. We have vaccines, we have booster shots, we’re delivering medicine to people at home. We are having mobile testing sites. And at the testing sites, we’re immediately giving people medicine when they become positive with COVID.

Mayor Adams: But we’re doing something else that has been a real secret weapon and that has led the entire country, and that is at-home testing kits. Over 35 million we have distributed and so people are getting signs that they may have COVID, they are testing themselves, they are staying home, they are now calling to have the medicine delivered. And so, we are going to pivot and shift, but we do need every New Yorker, too many people in the Black and Brown community are not vaccinated, they are not taking the booster shots, this helped those with pre-existing conditions. It helps slow down the spread. And it really allows us to continue to move forward in the right way.

Mayor Adams: So, this variant is not as deadly, but it can be impactful if you have a pre-existing condition. And so, when you look at those who are admitted to the hospitals, you are seeing that they are not vaccinated. There is a clear correlation between the lack of taking the vaccine and having a negative impact on COVID.

Giddings: Thank you, Mayor Adams. Mayor Adams you are now being joined Sandra Lindsay. Sandra Lindsay is the first person to be vaccinated in this country. Good morning, welcome Sandra, how are you? Sandra, I see you, but I can’t hear you. U?

Sandra Lindsay: Morning JR, how are you?

Giddings: Sandra, first, we want to congratulate you on your honor that you just received from President Biden. Not only that we want to congratulate you, we have the mayor here, the Mayor of New York City, Mayor Eric Adams, and we all want to salute you. We think this is a big thing. You before everyone else decided that I’m going to take this vaccination and I’m setting the example. Mayor Adams, can you jump in please.

Mayor Adams: Well first, you know, it is nice to get an acknowledgement from the president, but her real honor is going to come when she gets the acknowledgement form the mayor of the city. We are going to honor you also, that is more, I think, something to be more proud of. I tell the president that Sandra belongs to us, so don’t try to claim her in Washington, you know.

Mayor Adams: You know, we’re just really proud of you because you just sent a message, because you know, all of you in the health care arena, you know, when you look at the numbers, Black and Brown people are – their numbers are dismal when it comes down to vaccines and booster shots. And when we saw Sandra step up and lead the way, many people who were reluctant said, “Wait a minute, let me get this done.” And then to have a sister from the Caribbean diaspora, it just really shows the power of the diversity of our city and our country and how you have contributed in so any ways. And if you look at our nurse’s population, they are overwhelmingly people of color, those who work at hospitals.

Mayor Adams: So, Sandra was a symbol and I’m looking forward to you – the White House is okay, but I want you to come to the Black House where you got this Black mayor that is going to honor you right here at City Hall.

Lindsay: Good morning, everyone, JR. First of all, thank you very much for always, you know, taken every opportunity to salute and thank me. I appreciated it. Mayor Adams, I know you have a full city to run, so for you to take time out to jump on and deliver this personal message, I really, really appreciate it and look forward to meeting you in person and come into the Black House and celebrate with you and everybody else. So, thank you always. You know, the beginning, The Reset Talk Show has been so supportive of me, and I truly do appreciate it and thank you all for everything.

Giddings: Sandra I just wanted to joke for a minute, Mayor Adams, when you are hosting Sandra, the Reset platform has to partner with you on that, she is a part of us. Okay, so I’m putting it out there, the whole panel knows that when this is happening the Reset platform will be upfront –

Giddings: Thank you Mayor Adams, everybody here we’re partnered with the mayor to host Sandra Lindsay. Sandra before you go any further, if you look to the box, if you look to the box on your left, you have nurses, a whole group of nurses, that just want to salute you. Doret, turn on your audio, and you guys just – a big shoutout to Sandra.

Lindsay: Before you go any further, this honor is for all of us. I mentioned several platforms that, you know, the groups that I identify with, Mayor Adams mentioned the Caribbean diaspora, Jamaicans, immigrants, women, women of color, my nurses, healthcare workers of all capacity, minorities. This one is for all of us. It’s a big honor for all of us. So, I share this with all of you.

Giddings: You also have Christine, one of your colleagues, she is here. Every time she knows you are here, she jumps on. So Doret, let’s say a big hello. Could we get a big hello from all the nurses over there?

Lindsay: Thank you, thank you.

Edmonds: This is a team of nursing students, and they are truly inspired. Truly, like everybody else, by your bravery, by your commitment to nursing, by everything that you have done. Trust me.

Edmonds: As a trendsetting, you truly lead the way and these nurses, they’ve received a full lecture on just how many opportunities there are for nurses upcoming and otherwise. And we are so glad that you’re at the helm of this. Thank you again for all you can do and God bless you.

Lindsay: Thank you and all the best guys, thank you so much.

Giddings: Sandra, we still have your Reset award for you, maybe we can save it when the mayor’s hosting you. Maybe we can honor you then. Of course, there’s another big event we have coming up for breast cancer awareness, so we could talk about that off screen. Pastor Straker, Mayor Adams. You guys have the last say because I know the mayor has to jump off and Sandra has to jump off. And I don’t do anything without my pastor, guys. So, my pastor has to have a word with this.

Pastor Louis Straker, Jr.: Thank you so much. It’s so good to see you. Sandra, congratulations. We are so proud of you. As I’ve said before, you are our COVID evangelist. You were the one who took the message that it is okay to take this vaccine. You put the country on your back. And we’re so proud of you as one who is a part of New York and also part of the Caribbean community. Jamaican women are strong women. They’re strong and they’re brave and we’re very proud of you and honored to have you connected with us on this Reset platform. And of course, to our mayor, God bless you. I tell you man, you always do it. I’m looking at that shirt there, I’m saying this guy here, swagalicious We’re so proud of the work that’s being done. Yes, we’re looking forward to coming to the Black House, and we’re all going to celebrate.

Lindsay: Thank you, Pastor, and please keep me in your prayers.

Pastor Straker, Jr.: Will do.

Giddings: Ending with you, Mayor Adams.

Mayor Adams: And just, JR, your whole team here. Just the information, I just remember the days of the lockdown, the days of uncertainty, and just being a calm voice where you separated fear from facts. And people would say all the time when I’m in the streets during those days, of how much they tuned into your program and heard from the professionals that you brought together. You know, when you look at how we navigated those days of seeing trailers full of bodies out in front of our hospitals, the morgues, the makeshift morgues. When we saw people just petrified because they were locked down in their homes. You were a calm voice, and it just really reinforces why these local networks with large audiences is crucial to our entire city and our entire country. 

Mayor Adams: So I cannot thank you enough, Pastor. You have been a guiding voice and just showing people the power of prayer, the power of belief, the power of fortitude, of moving forward. So I thank you and your entire team. And Nicole, bringing in her experience just about every week, adding our voices. All of you, coming together and bringing together, how do we navigate this formidable opponent called COVID? It’s a formidable opponent that keeps shifting. And we have to pivot and shift with it to save lives. And Sandra’s action, I believe, saved so many lives. And I thank her, and I thank all of you. I look forward to the great things we’re going to do in the future. Our city is invincible. And we will continue to rise and meet the moments and challenges in front of us. Thank you so much.

Giddings: Before you leave, Mayor Adams, what I am most proud of, and this is what I tell everyone. All my listeners, this is what I tell everyone I come in contact with. You lent your voice to this platform two years ago when we started with 18,000 listeners. And with your influence and your voice and your knowledge, we were able to build. And now we’re north of 1 million. We were able to bring people like Sandra to this platform because, guess what? You add that value to this platform. So, Mayor Adams, all I’m saying is you’re connected with us now for the next four years, the next eight years. Together, we got this. And we just want it to remain that way. We just want you to increase our listenership. We are close to 1 million. We need to get to 3 million. So, I’m leaning hard on you to always come back in because we have some of the best minds in the country on this platform. Let me say it again. We have some of the best minds on this platform, and we have the most powerful mayor in the country who partnered with us to get the Reset platform to where we are today. So, Mayor Adams, thank you.

Mayor Adams: Thank you. 

Giddings: Please give us that date. Sandra, we gonna get together and we’re gonna celebrate at the Black House.

Lindsay: Thank you all so much. Looking forward to it and have a great day.

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