Residents at Augustine House, a retirement residence in Ladner, B.C., are among thousands of older adults in British Columbia receiving vaccinations as part of the province’s COVID-19 immunization program.
Delta Optimist recently published stories about Augustine House’s vaccination drive featuring a couple of residents who received the first dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine.
“As you can imagine, everyone has been anxiously awaiting this day and are very excited it has arrived,” said Augustine House executive director Jackie Reiners to Delta Optimist. “We are grateful to the Fraser Health staff that have been on site today to work with us to make this happen.”
101-year-old Mabel Dermody was the first resident at Augustine House to receive the first of two Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine shots.
Another resident, 92-year-old Raymonde McIntyre, was vaccinated for the first time in 70 years. McIntyre had an anaphylactic reaction to an injection back in 1951 and had not received a shot since. After consulting her primary physician and the Vaccination Task Force Call to weigh the risks and benefits, a decision was made to https://bccare.ca/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/medcare-img22.jpgister the vaccine. Fortunately, McIntyre has not had an adverse reaction from the shot – except for a sore arm for a day. She will receive her second dose in five weeks.
Reiners also confirmed that a majority of Augustine House staff have received the first vaccine dose.
BC Care Providers Association and EngAge BC commend Augustine House and seniors’ residences across B.C. for taking this significant step forward to safeguarding our province’s older adults against COVID-19.
Photos submitted by Augustine House.
