Hundreds sign up for vaccine town hall event targeting northeast Calgary residents

People in northeast Calgary will take part in a town hall event Wednesday designed to address the issue of vaccinations.

Ward Councillor George Chahal will host the Facebook Live featuring a panel of medical experts who can address questions about vaccines including dispelling mythsand bad information.

The quadrant has spent most of the past year at the top of Alberta Health Service's list ofhealth zones withactiveCOVID-19cases in Alberta, which is why Chahal says the event was needed more than ever forhis part of the city.

"There's nothing more important than getting vaccinated so we can get back to some sense of normalcy," said Chahal.

Northeast Calgary has been disproportionately affected by COVID, Chahal said.

"We haveour front line workers: bus drivers, grocery store clerks, nurses and people working at meat plants and distribution centres."

Chahal saidit's crucialto discuss the importance of getting vaccinated and to make sure residents are receiving the most accurate and relevant information.

The event's Facebookpage references "an age of misinformation and extreme political rhetoric" and mentions thatit can be difficult to know who to trust when it comes to topics like vaccines.

"There is a lot of miscommunication out there and we see that with the vaccine hesitancy and that's a concern," he said.

Panelists at the event will include:Dr. Cora Constantinescu, an infectious disease specialist at the Alberta Children's Hospital;Dr. Rupinder Toor,founder and medical director of The IUD Women's Clinic andDr. Annalee Coakley,medical director with Calgary's Mosaic Refugee Health Clinic.

Chahal saidthe event will include guests from various backgrounds speaking in different languages,engaging in an open and in-depth conversation about COVID-19 vaccines, including information about distribution and how and where to get thevaccine.

Thefree event streamson Facebook on April 7, 2021, at 7 p.m.MT.

Participants need toregister in advance to submit questions.