‘Teasing us’ with jab information
Young people in GTA feel misled and confused over hot-spot vaccinations
A surprise announcement last week left young adults in hotspot regions across the GTA scrambling to figure out the logistics of getting themselves vaccinated — only to find out most still can’t.
It’s an experience that left many feeling misled and confused.
Shriya Hari, 30, said she felt “elated” to hear vaccinations would be opened up to many in hot-spot communities, but now she said she feels like a fool.
“I would really like it if the provincial government got their act together and actually created a system that was functional,” said Hari, who lives in a Toronto hot spot.
Meanwhile, Nicole Damaso, 21, said she waited on the phone for an hour and a half before being told she wouldn’t actually be able to get the vaccine — even though she lives in a hot spot in York Region.
“I believe it’s misleading,” she told the Star. “It’s just teasing us with information.”
The confusion comes after Premier Doug Ford said on April 7 that those over 18 living in an identified postal code would soon be able to get the COVID-19 vaccine.
Since then, the province has clarified that younger people cannot register through the provincial website, and are only eligible through mobile pop-up clinics. However, those clinics haven’t been opened in every hot spot, leaving many young people unsure of when they’ll actually get the jab.
Responding to criticism that his statements were misleading, Ford said, “I never mislead anyone. I’m very clear.”
Health Minister Christine Elliott said Tuesday during a provincial update that the hot-spot postal codes have been based on “historic data where there had been an acceleration in the number of cases.” The list is being reviewed on a regular basis, she said.
Many communities feel like they have been lied to by the province, said Hari, who studies public health at the University of Toronto’s Dalla Lana School of Public Health, and lives in a hot-spot neighbourhood downtown. In communities like it, she said the virus is hitting racialized people hard.
“People in our communities are dying,” she said, adding that South Asian communities are feeling stressed that family members who work in essential roles may fall ill.
Alongside other students, Hari has co-written a letter to the provincial government to request an equitable pandemic response and protection for essential workers. It has garnered over 300 signatures from public health students across the province.
She wants to see essential workers prioritized in the vaccine rollout, noting that many aged between 18 and 49 are the ones working as essential staff throughout the GTA.
Elsewhere, young adults have been surfing the web for the latest information on how to get vaccinated.
On Twitter, the account Vaccine Hunters Canada is updating their account when registration spots open up across the country.
Still, even a tech-savvy individual like Lauren Wharton, 28, said she finds most booking sites to be unclear.
“Unless you’re walking around your neighbourhood and happen to stumble upon a pop-up clinic, it’s not clear,” the Parkdale resident said.