Monday was not a typical day at Midtown Apothecary downtown, one of a handful of pharmacies in the city that started offering COVID-19 vaccinations to local residents.
“It's so busy,” was the pleasant if hasty summary of the day by owner Karen Moak. “Everyone's very excited.”
Appointment bookings started flooding in on Friday, though Midtown posted on its Facebook page that many slots were still available, at least at that time.
The first full day of vaccines went well, Moak said, though she couldn’t confirm how many people came through the doors for their shot in the arm. The Moderna vaccine is a two-shot deal, she explained so anyone who gets the initial dose must get a second shot 28 days later.
According to Health Canada’s webpage on the drug, immunity develops over time. It takes about two weeks to develop significant protection against COVID-19. "For the greatest protection, you will need the second dose,” it says.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control cites side effects including reports of pain at the injection site, body chills, and feeling tired or feverish.
So far, Midtown only has reports of many smiles, including her own.
"They're so happy," she noted, indicating that she was happy as well to be able to offer her clients such important medicine.
"It's so exciting to be a part of this. It's monumental for me as a health care provider. It's the greatest health care initiative in my lifetime. I'm so honoured to be a part of it."
The news of local vaccination sites was shared late last week by Mayor Cathy Heron through a social media post announcing the progress for St. Albert under Stage 2a of the province’s vaccine rollout plans.
That means if you're born in 1947 to 1956 (or born in 1971 or earlier for First Nations, Métis and Inuit people) then it's time to roll up your sleeves and sign up for your shot. Staff and senior residents of licensed supportive living facilities not included in Phase 1 are also eligible.
The St. Albert pharmacies involved include:
- Shoppers Drug Mart #379 (Village Landing location, 140 St. Albert Tr.),
- Midtown Apothecary (41 St. Thomas St.),
- London Drugs #48 (St. Albert Centre, 375 St Albert Tr.),
- Loblaw Pharmacy #1568 (in Superstore, 101 St. Albert Rd.), and
- Safeway Pharmacy #8863 (Inglewood location, 395 St. Albert Tr.).
One Morinville pharmacy – Medicine Chest Guardian Drugs, located at 10013 100 St. – is also operational.
A full listing of pharmacies offering the COVID immunizations (along with their contact details) can be found by visiting the website for Alberta Blue Cross. The page indicates people must book an appointment with the pharmacy closest to you to receive the vaccine and that no walk-ins will be permitted.
"To ensure fair access to all Albertans needing to be immunized and to prevent unnecessary wastage of vaccine doses, please only book your immunizations at ONE location. DO NOT book appointments at multiple sites," it indicated with emphasis.
Correction
An earlier version of this article stated a media request to the city had not been returned. This is incorrect. Due to an email error, the Gazette did not see the response from the city. The Gazette apologizes for this error and any embarrassment it may have caused.
