A previous version of this article stated the Youville Home received a shipment of the COVID-19 vaccine. Youville Home staff have been receiving their COVID-19 vaccines at designated vaccination centres, not at Youville Home itself.
Long-term care homes in St. Albert received first doses of the COVID-19 vaccine just before the new year.
Shipments arrived just over a week after the Moderna vaccine received a stamp of approval from Health Canada on Dec. 23. Both the Citadel Care Centre and the Youville Home in St. Albert told the Gazette they were beginning vaccinations on New Years Eve.
"That day, we immunized all of our consenting residents, which was 110 people. We also immunized 30 staff that day," said Dana Schnepf, Citadel director of care and site manager. As of Monday, 170 people at Citadel have rolled up their sleeves for the vaccine, with 100 more scheduled for this week, she said.
"It was such a fun, exciting day. Some of the residents were excited and cheering, some of them were in tears. Staff were coming in cheering, they wanted pictures, videos taken of them getting immunized. It has been the best New Years ever."
Cecilia Marion, senior director of operations at the Youville Home, also confirmed to the Gazette that facility staff started getting the vaccine at designated centres on Dec. 31.
"Our staff at Youville Home are so appreciative of this opportunity to receive their COVID-19 vaccinations. This is a bright start to the New Year and provides an extra layer of protection for our staff, our residents and our community here in St Albert," Marion wrote in an email.
Alberta received the first shipment of 16,900 Moderna vaccine doses on Dec. 29. The province rolled out doses to respiratory therapists and staff in acute care, long-term care and supportive living facilities before opening the vaccine up to those at highest risk, including residents in long-term continuing care facilities in January. Other facilities in Edmonton, Calgary, St. Paul, Medicine Hat, Lethbridge, Grande Prairie, Red Deer and Edmonton were part of this shipment.
The Moderna vaccine, unlike the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, doesn't have to be kept in ultra-low temperatures and therefore can be more easily distributed to continuing care facilities. Studies have found the Moderna vaccine is 94.5 per cent effective in preventing COVID-19 beginning 14 days after the second dose. Immunity may last for at least four months, according to another study from the New England Journal of Medicine.
Citadel resident Alice Chelich, who is almost 90, received the first dose of the vaccine on New Years Eve. She said she was thrilled to get the vaccine, and with how the staff at Citadel handled its distribution.
"I was really impressed with the administration that was so well organized, that when we got the opportunity to get our vaccination, we got them immediately," Chelich said. "I didn't feel the needle, and I've had no reaction at all to the vaccine. This is the way to answer the plague that is hurting so many people in the world."
As a former high school teacher, Chelich said she has had her fair share of vaccinations in her lifetime. As the Skype ringtone played in the background from a call from her family, she said she encourages everyone to roll up their sleeves for the COVID-19 vaccine.
"This terrible disease that we're all fighting is touching people in many ways. Families are hurt. They've lost loved ones. The economy is hurt. Small business owners are hurt – we can go on and on. But we've got to help the scientists and our officials in government, as well as our officials in our nursing homes and senior homes. We've got to co-operate with it," she said.
"I would just encourage everyone, for their own sake as well as the sake of their family, their friends and the world, so we can more or less bring it to a halt, this terrible disease."
After the rest of the first dose is given out on Friday, staff will start planning to do it all again for the second dose in about three weeks time, Schnepf said. Since getting the vaccine, most residents and staff have had little to no symptoms, she said, save for a few mild fevers and sore arms. One positive side effect has been a renewed sense of hope.
"There was a huge relief and the hope that (residents) can start seeing their family members more regularly, hope that they can start living what used to be a normal life for them," she said. "Hope has been the big feeling around this building."
When asked about the province's phased approach, Schnepf said she thought it was "wonderful and appropriate" for the government to put older Albertans first in line for the vaccine.
"I would say our geriatric population is not always the first thought of in our society, unfortunately. It was great to see that they were the first thought of in our province this time, as it should be. They have been at the highest risk, they absolutely are our most vulnerable Albertans in this situation. They deserved this first."
In February, the province will begin rolling out the vaccine to anyone over the age of 75, First Nations, Métis and people 65 years of age and over living in a First Nations community or Métis settlement. Health-care workers in medical, surgical and COVID-19 units or operating rooms are also included.
As of Dec. 29, 8,544 doses of COVID-19 vaccine had been administered in Alberta. No adverse effects following immunization had been reported to Alberta Health and Alberta Health Services by that date, according to the province.
