'Relief and hope': 1st LTC home residents on P.E.I. receive COVID-19 vaccine

Prince Edward Island long-term care home residents began receiving doses of COVID-19 vaccine on Monday.

Officials say 170 doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine were being administered at Whisperwood Villato residents, as well as staff who hadn't been vaccinated previously at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital centre.

The firstresident at the Charlottetown home to receive a shot was Art Johnston, who is 98 years old.

"I really can't explain it.It's relief and hope," said Johnston, a community care resident who has lived at Whisperwoodalong with his wife since 2016."Just the knowledge that from now on, my body will be protected to a degree.And I'm looking forward to the second one in three weeks' time."

Johnston said while he hasn't been overly worried about COVID-19, he has found the pandemic restrictions to be "a bit annoying."

He's alsomissed seeingsome of hisfriends and family, who haven't been able to visit as much since March.

"I don't understand people that don't want to take it," Johnston added of the vaccine. "I can't understand it at all. I think everyone should take it."

Moderna doses starting soon

Sometime this week, health workers should be able tostart administering doses of the Moderna vaccine against COVID-19, which is the second vaccine to receive Health Canada approval.

The Island has had 96 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the 10 months since the coronavirus pandemic was declared, but no hospitalizations or deaths. Only 10of those cases were diagnosed in people aged 60 and up, who are considered more vulnerable to the ailment.

The most recent two cases were announced on Tuesday, Dec. 29.

The provincial government said just before Christmas that vaccine doses would be administered first tohealth care workers, in particular thoseconnected to long-term care homes or involved in coronavirus testing or emergency room medicine.

The next roundsof vaccines will beaimed at these priority groups as more doses are delivered to the Island:

• Residents and staff in long-term care facilities.
• Adultsover 70 living outside care facilities, starting with those over 80.
• Other health-care workers.
• Adults in Indigenous communities.

Other Islanders will then have the chance toobtain aCOVID-19 vaccination.

Reminder about symptoms

The symptoms of COVID-19 can include:

• Fever.
• Cough or worsening of a previous cough.
• Possible loss of taste and/or smell.
• Sore throat.
• New or worsening fatigue.
• Headache.
• Shortness of breath.
• Runny nose.

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