Townshippers line up for Astrazeneca vaccine
Asteady stream of people 55 and older visited the Centre de Foires in Sherbrooke on Thursday morning, lining up to get their dose of the Astrazeneca COVID-19 vaccine.
According to the Eastern Townships’ local health authority, 1,200 people showed up at the centre to get their Astrazeneca vaccine coupon. They gave away 1,200 coupons by 10 a.m., and there will be another 600 available on
Friday morning.
The Quebec government made the announcement late Wednesday afternoon that the vaccine would be an option for whoever wanted it without the need to make an appointment.
There were 13,200 vaccine available in
Townships.
Alain Fontaine, a 57-year-old Sherbrooke resident, was waiting in line when he spoke to The Record. He doses the of the Eastern said the news piqued his interest. It means avoiding a long wait to make an appointment, he continued, and the vaccines are available.
“I have no problem taking whatever vaccine, I have confidence with what the government is saying,” said Fontaine. “I have no fears with Astrazeneca.”
He added that he doesn’t envy the government’s job right now. Fontaine believes they are handling the vaccine rollout as best as they can. It’s not an easy thing to manage, he said, sharing that he would never want to be in their shoes in this situation.
Renee, a 57-year-old, said she drove from Richmond to get her vaccination at the centre. She arrived at 7 a.m., grabbed a coupon and left to pick up a coffee before returning to the lineup. Renee also isn’t worried about the side effects associated with the vaccine.
“It’s important for me to get vaccinated as quickly as possible, otherwise I would have to wait until June or July,” she said.
It’s all the same, there are no problems, Renee continued, explaining that the odds of having complications are very low. Sherbrooke is providing more Astrazeneca vaccines on Friday between 8:30 a.m. and 11 a.m. at the Centre de Foires.
Joanne Baillargeon, a 61-year-old daycare educator in the area, arrived at around 7:30 a.m. to pick up her coupon. Although the region just moved the vaccination age range to 60 and older, she didn’t want to wait for an appointment.
“I think that with more people vaccinated, respecting the measures, we’ll be able to return to normal soon; maybe [have] a nice summer,” Baillargeon said.
She acknowledged the reality of the side effects attributed to the Astrazeneca vaccine. But that can happen with any vaccine, Baillargeon said. She is confident in the government, and her goal is to salvage the summer, especially for Quebec’s youth population.
“You don’t get to relive your youth. At our age, we’ve already done a lot, we need to bring it back to normal for them,” said Baillargeon.
The Église Saint-isaac-jogues in Valdes-sources is also giving vaccinations without appointments on April 13. But they have yet to release their schedule. Domaine du Parc in Cowansville is doing the same thing on April 11 between 9 a.m. and 4:30 p.m.
Vaccines will also be available on April 10 in Lac-mégantic at 3700 rue Laval from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. and on April 11 in Magog at Galeries Orford between 12:30 p.m. and 7 p.m. All of the information can be found on the Santé Estrie website.