Second booster eligibility opens up, Corner Drug Store asks people to register online
Anyone 18 and over can now get a second booster shot of a COVID-19 vaccine in New Brunswick. The provincial government announced the expanded eligibility in a release Tuesday afternoon, saying the decision was based on current trends in the province that show “increasing risk”.
Chief Medical Officer of Health Jennifer Russell says there are signs, “New Brunswick is at the start of a period of heightened activity of COVID-19, driven by Omicron subvariants BA.4 and BA.5.”
Tuesday’s announcement immediately set phones ringing off the hook at the Corner Drug Store in Sackville, one of the local pharmacies that offers COVID-19 vaccines.
Pharmacist Charles Beaver says the pharmacy will likely need to expand operations to accommodate the demand, and to that end will be compiling a waitlist of those interested in getting a booster shot. To get on the list, people can register at the Corner Drug Store website at thecornerdrugstore.ca. Beaver asks people not to call the Corner Drug Store to book a COVID vaccination, to help keep the shop from being overwhelmed with calls.
Over at Jean Coutu, the pharmacy just paused its vaccine program for the time being, and it’s not yet known when it might start up again. Online registration is currently disabled for COVID vaccinations at Jean Coutu, and the pharmacy is not taking bookings by phone.
Corner Drug Store pharmacist-owner Charles Beaver says anyone who had their COVID booster more than five or six months ago should be registering for a second booster.… Continue
COVID boosters, flu shots and kids’ vaccines: Q&A with local pharmacist Charles Beaver
Earlier this month, the province of New Brunswick opened up eligibility to COVID-19 booster shots to include anyone over 65 whose second shot was more than 6 months ago. In addition, health care and school workers are eligible, along with people who are immune-compromised. People who received one or two doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine are also eligible, as well as people with mixed doses who need to travel outside of North America for essential reasons.
On Wednesday in Sackville, the Vitalité Health Network is running a walk-in vaccination clinic at the Sackville Visitor Information Centre from 9am to 4pm. The clinic is open to anyone 12 years and older, and is administering either the Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna vaccines. But walk-in appointments are only available to those getting a first or second shot of a vaccine. For third or booster doses, public health is asking people to make appointments online.
In Sackville, appointments are bookable through public health for the occasional Vitalité clinic hosted in town, but people are also able to book online to get doses through the Corner Drug Store pharmacy.
Recently I spoke with Corner Drug Store pharmacist and owner Charles Beaver with some questions about booster shots and more.
Q: Both Moderna and Pfizer are available for the the third dose or booster shot. How do people know which one they should be requesting?
Charles Beaver: There are folks who want to have their third one be the same as the first two, which makes sense to me.… Continue
Sackville loses 51 doses of Moderna due to no-shows and last minute cancellations
Due to an unusually high number of no shows and last minute appointment cancellations, about 51 doses of Moderna vaccine were lost after Wednesday’s COVID-19 vaccination clinic in Sackville. On the flip side, nearly 600 doses of Moderna were administered at the Vitalité clinic.
Clinic staff started the day prepared to administer 649 doses of Moderna vaccine, but on the day of the clinic, more than 100 no shows and last minute cancellations came in. Health department spokesperson Shawn Berry says, “when staff became aware of the situation, they took immediate action.”
At about 11:30am, Vitalité opened up the clinic to walk-in appointments for anyone seeking a first dose of a Moderna vaccine. Then at around 3:30pm, Vitalité announced via Twitter that anyone looking for a first or second dose could stop by at the clinic. They also announced the clinic would remain open until all doses were used.
In the end, the clinic remained open until 7:23pm, and about half of the doses reserved for cancelled appointments were lost.
“As more and more New Brunswickers are getting vaccinated or have appointments,” says Berry, “there are fewer people available when we post walk-ins.”
Clinic staff made efforts to spread the word, says Berry.… Continue
Another Corner Drug mass vaccination clinic slated for Thursday
The Corner Drug Store is hosting a second mass vaccination clinic at the Tantramar Civic Centre on Thursday, July 1.
The clinic will administer Moderna shots to over 500 people, says Corner Drug pharmacist-owner Charles Beaver. Hundreds of emails and text messages with booking links went out on Tuesday evening, he says.
Hear Charles Beaver in conversation:
Anyone who is registered for a Dose 2 Moderna shot at the Corner Drug, and had their first shot of a vaccine up to May 21, should have received an email or text to book their appointment.
Beaver says that anyone 18 and over who had their first shot with Corner Drug up to May 30 should have already received an email informing them that they are on the pharmacy’s Dose Two Moderna waiting list. For those who have not and feel they should have, Beaver suggests registering again for a Dose 2 Moderna shot on the Corner Drug website.
“It’s okay if someone registers twice on the Dose Two waitlist,” says Beaver. “They may receive two emails, but that’s okay, just use one.” Actual appointments for vaccinations are made once someone on the waitlist clicks the link to schedule an appointment, so there’s no harm in getting on the waitlist twice.
Beaver says there are several dozen people in the Corner Drug system dating to a first dose before May 11 which do not have an accurate email address or cell phone number attached.… Continue