In order to reach the first phase vaccination goal for the province’s Path to Green plan, about 63,000 New Brunswickers will need to get their first shot of a COVID-19 vaccine by Monday at midnight.
That’s going to be a tall order. Since the beginning of the rollout, the busiest 5-day period saw about 50,000 people get a first shot, and more recently, the province has been averaging 30-40,000 shots every five days.
But that doesn’t mean we won’t try.
In Sackville, the Corner Drug Store has done some heavy lifting on the vaccine front: as of Thursday, the pharmacy has administered more than 2700 shots of a COVID-19 vaccine. With the pressure on for reopening targets, Corner Drug pharmacist-owner Charles Beaver says, “we’re going to need everybody that is intending to get one, but just hasn’t got around to it, to get around to it… sooner than later.”
Hear Charles Beaver in conversation on Tantramar Report:
Beaver says there are still some spots open Friday for Pfizer shots at the Corner Drug store. People can either register online (the preferred method), but if time is tight, they can call the pharmacy at 536-2255.
A Vitalité clinic will run at the Tantramar Civic Centre on Saturday, June 5, and people with New Brunswick health cards can register online, while others can call 1-833-437-1424. There’s also a clinic taking walk-in appointments being held at the Moncton Colliseum from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m on Saturday, June 5.
Anyone 12 and over is currently eligible for a vaccination, but those 12-15 years of age will require parental consent. People 16 and up can give their own consent.
Next week, Corner Drug Store is offering another 180 shots of Pfizer on Wednesday and Thursday, June 9 and 10. The following week Beaver expects to receive another 300 shots. “The supply is going to be robust,” he says. “Which is good, so that we can get started on second doses.”
Guidance on second doses was updated recently to allow mixing doses. People who got AstraZeneca for their first shot can choose to wait for a second shot with an mRNA vaccine such as Pfizer or Moderna, or they can chose an earlier second dose with AstraZeneca, as long as they are 55 or older, and got their shot at least eight weeks ago.
Corner Drug Store has both AstraZeneca and Pfizer shots available. “Both are effective, and both are considered safe,” says Beaver. “Second dose AstraZeneca has probably close to a ten-fold even less likely to have the very rare clotting problem that the first dose does, so it’s quite safe. And folks that want to discuss the differences and what to expect from that, should call and speak to the pharmacist or their health care provider.”
Thursday marked eight weeks since Corner Drug first started giving AztraZeneca doses, and so some people received their eight-week interval second shot yesterday. More are scheduled for next week, says Beaver.
Beaver says its important to dress appropriately for your vaccination appointment. The person giving the shot needs to from see the bony top of the shoulder to the armpit, in order to properly landmark the shot, says Beaver. He recommends, “a tank top with a jacket overtop, or a loose fitting t-shirt where you can pull the entire sleeve up over the shoulder.”
