Sackvillians are getting access to three of Canada’s federally-approved vaccines.
Last week, Corner Drug administered 278 doses of the Moderna vaccine to area residents. (Staff managed to squeeze out more than the expected 270 doses “by wasting not a drop” says pharmacist-owner Charles Beaver.)
You can listen to the full interview with Charles Beaver here:
This week, the pharmacy received 120 doses of Pfizer and is, “well underway administering all of those.” Today, they will receive 500 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine.
On Wednesday, the province announced a new age group — anyone 70 or older — is eligible to register for vaccinations with either a pharmacy or a health authority clinic. But a wider age group is eligible to receive the AstraZeneca vaccine at select clinics and pharmacies throughout the province. (Scroll to the bottom of this story for eligibility details, links, and contact numbers.)
In Sackville, anyone 55 or over is eligible to register for a vaccine through the Corner Drug Store. Beaver says he’s asking people to register for a vaccination on the pharmacy’s website, and then they will be sent a link to book their appointment. Anyone without an email address will receive a call.
“It’s very helpful for us, for folks to use the website, because there was an overwhelming volume of telephone calls in the last few weeks,” says Beaver.
Corner Drug store started out with four staff people qualified to give the vaccine shot, but has since upped that number to seven.
“We’ve now hired three licensed practical nurses and certified them in giving injections,” says Beaver.
Beaver says he expects to have all 620 doses of vaccine he receives this week to be administered by the end of next week.
SACKVILLE’S OTHER VACCINATION CLINIC
The Vitalité Health Network is also operating a vaccination clinic at the Tantramar Civic Centre. The clinic did not open as planned on Wednesday due to not enough people registering. Those scheduled for Wednesday have now been moved to Saturday, April 10, according to a Vitalité spokesperson.
Charles Beaver says that the town also offered him the possibility of using space at the civic centre to operate the Corner Drug clinic, if space becomes an issue.
Last week, Rotary Club of Sackville volunteers assisted the Corner Drug rollout by accompanying patients outside after their shots, to wait the recommended 15 minutes in the rare case of allergic reactions. This week, Beaver says the appointments are spaced to accommodate waiting patients inside Corner Drug.
ASTRA-ZENECA SAFE AND EFFECTIVE, SAYS BEAVER
Beaver says that over the Easter weekend at the pharmacy, he heard from patients and customers, some with concerns about the Astra-Zeneca vaccine, and others enthusiastic about any vaccine available.
“Probably half the people say no, I’ve already made up my mind, I’ll take any vaccine,” says Beaver. “Others have concerns.”
Last week, New Brunswick announced it would follow National Advisory Committee on Immunization recommendations and suspend the use of AstraZeneca with people under 55.
Chief Medical Officer of Health Jennifer Russell said the province would continue to use AstraZeneca, but just restrict age groups that are eligible for it. “I can assure you it is safe, and I would have no problem recommending it or taking it myself,” said Russell.
Beaver agrees. Though as a pharmacist he has already been vaccinated, his “vaccine-hesitant” wife, who just squeaks by the age eligibility of 55 years old, will be taking the AstraZeneca vaccine “as soon as we are able to give it to anyone else in the community,” says Beaver.
Of all the people in Canada who have received AstraZeneca, says Beaver, “there were no issues at all. That’s well over 300,000 in Canada. In Europe, the issues that did arise were all in folks under age 55. The vast majority are in women in their late 20s and 30s,” says Beaver.
The research and analysis on all COVID-19 vaccines continues to develop. On Wednesday, the European Medicines Agency announced that “unusual blood clots with low blood platelets should be listed as very rare side effects” of the AstraZeneca vaccine, but that it would not recommend any new restrictions on use of the vaccine in people over 18. The agency said, “the overall benefits of the vaccine in preventing COVID-19 outweigh the risks of side effects.”
“I think it’s a great thing that health authorities around the world are paying such close attention and are being very cautious with vaccines,” says Beaver. “That’s an important part of keeping our publics safe.”
But Beaver also agrees with the analysis that the risks related to COVID-19 are greater than those reported associated with any vaccines. He points to stats released by New Brunswick public health in an infosheet (pdf) distributed online, dated March 29.
“One in 100 Canadians who get COVID-19 end up in intensive care,” says Beaver. “One in five Canadians who develop COVID-19 and are hospitalized will in fact have a blood clot from the COVID-19. That’s a lot more scary to me than a one in a million shot for somebody who’s 20 years younger than I am, maybe related to this vaccine,” says Beaver.
As far as efficacy is concerned, Beaver points out that the rates published regarding all three vaccines come from studies conducted in different places at different times in the pandemic, meaning they are not necessarily comparable.
“The one number that you can take to the bank, though, is that all three—Pfizer, Moderna and AstraZeneca—in fact have 100% effectiveness at preventing death and serious disease requiring hospitalization,” says Beaver.
Another effect of the vaccines is yet to be determined: whether and when they will reduce transmission of the coronavirus and therefore result in eased public health restrictions.
New Brunswick has made one change to border restrictions based on vaccinations, so far. Rotational workers who have been vaccinated 14 days prior no longer need to self-isolate, though they are still required to do testing on days five and 10 once they return to the province.
On March 30, Dr. Jennifer Russell said that others who cross the border regularly and have been vaccinated would not receive a similar lifting of isolation requirements.
The vaccine, said Russell, offers a personal protection. “It does not mean they cannot get COVID-19. It does not mean they cannot transmit COVID-19. So until we receive mass vaccinations and the greater portion of our population is protected, public health measures need to be followed.”
“I don’t see that changing today,” said Russell. “I’m sure it will be evaluated going forward.”
LATEST VACCINATION NUMBERS FOR NEW BRUNSWICK
According to the latest numbers released by the province, nearly 15% of the population have now received at least one shot of a COVID-19 vaccine. After a lull over the Easter Weekend, vaccination numbers seem to have picked up again, with just over 4200 more people having received a first dose as of Wednesday.
New Brunswick has over 61,000 doses of vaccine waiting to be administered.
VACCINE ELIGIBILITY INFO FOR SACKVILLE – AS OF APRIL 8
As of April 8, the following groups are eligible to book a vaccine through the Corner Drug Store:
- anyone aged 55 and older (AstraZeneca only for those under 70)
- workers who regularly travel across the border, including regular commuters, truckers and rotational workers,
- first responders who are 65 and older.
As of April 8, the following groups are eligible to book a vaccine through any pharmacy in New Brunswick:
- anyone aged 70 and older,
- workers who regularly travel across the border, including regular commuters, truckers and rotational workers,
- first responders who are 65 and older.
As of April 8, the following groups are eligible to book a vaccine through a Horizon or Vitalité clinic.
- anyone aged 70 and older,
- First Nations, aged 16 and older,
- workers who regularly travel across the border, including regular commuters, truckers and rotational workers,
- people with complex medical conditions,
- people aged 40 or older with three or more select chronic conditions,
- health-care workers and health system staff,
- first responders.
WHO TO CONTACT TO BOOK YOUR APPOINTMENT
To book at a Sackville pharmacy, you can call Jean Coutu at 506-536-0230. The Corner Drug Store is asking people to register via their website. If you are not currently eligible, you can register now, and Corner Drug will contact you once you are eligible.
In Port Elgin, people can call Village Pharmacy at 506-538-2333. In Memramcook, people can call the Familiprix at 506-758-1890.
To make an appointment at a Horizon or Vitalité clinic, people can go online or or call 1-833-437-1424.
If you need help getting to your vaccine appointment, Rural Rides Tantramar can help provide transportation to vaccine centres or pharmacies. To book a ride or volunteer as a driver, call 506-962-3073.
