The deed is done, or at least half done. Went down to City Hall this morning, as scheduled, and got my first vaccination. It was the Pfizer vaccine, and very well organized; kind of reminded me of going to vote. Walked in, confirmed my registration, and almost immediately got my shot. Like a flu shot, I had to wait around for 15 minutes afterwards, to make sure there were no adverse side effects, and given an information sheet, telling me of what might happen in terms of after effects; possible sore arm, fever-like symptoms, but so far so good. I was in and out, on my way home in less than half an hour. My second vaccination won’t be until August, so face mask and social distancing still necessary for the immediate future, the country as a whole still far from herd immunity.

Meanwhile, others in the city are running around like chickens with their heads cut off. The reason being several pharmacies, and even one grocery store are/were offering popup vaccinations, first come first serve, causing long lineups, and with limited supply, many going home disappointed. The matter further complicated, by a group calling itself Vaccine Finders. Again, due to limited amounts, more disappointments. What’s worse is some have booked multiple vaccination at different places, a few even going out of town, and once inoculated, not cancelling or unable to cancel other appointments. Some can be cancelled only by calling a telephone number, but not online, unfortunately.

I booked my appointments online through the provincial portal, after the bugs were worked out, with no difficulty. My second appointment to be confirmed via email.

New tragedies have emerged here in Canada over the past few days, as the Corona variants are infecting younger people, with a 13-year-old girl in Toronto (a major hotspot), dying within hours of contracting the disease, while her own mother was in hospital, also infected, leaving the father to pick up the pieces. It didn’t say in the press whether the mother was aware or capable of knowing what has happened, however thanks to a Go Fund Me page, a $100K has already been raised to help him. In British Columbia, it turned out that a baby who sadly passed away a couple of weeks ago, was also a victim of COVID. And just today, a 54-year-old woman in Quebec died from a blood clot, after receiving a dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine.

Another (major) tragedy is currently going on in India, where for a time the virus was under control, but due to the emergence of a deadly variant, hundreds of thousands are now being infected every day, with thousands dying due to lack of hospital beds and oxygen. The world, including Canada, are coming together to send India anything it can to assist. Canada has since cancelled direct flights from the country, as well as Pakistan, also heavily hit, but many point out that entry into Canada is still possible through indirect flights, first to Europe or the United States.

Another kind of tragedy is that children as young as 5 years old are being treated for anxiety and depression, due to the overall situation, as well as school closures. Online learning is helping to some degree, but many kids, especially those with learning disabilities, have had trouble adapting to the new reality.

In other news, many in the United States and even Canada are breathing a collective sigh of relief with the ‘guilty on all counts’ verdict of Derek Chauvin on the murder of George Floyd. The disgraced police officer, now in protective custody, will be sentenced in a couple of months. Many see this as only a first step, as sadly, the killing of black men and women by police goes on.


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04/27/2021

Posted on 04/27/2021
Copyright © 2024 Chris Sorrenti