'We have a weapon': London's first COVID-19 vaccination raises hopes and cheers

After months of playing defence and hunkering down against the deadly coronavirus, London can now finally begin to fight back. 

On Wednesday, the city's first citizen received the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccination, launching what will be a long, concerted program to inoculate London and its surrounding region against a virus that has killed more than 14,000 Canadians, including 93 locally.

Those who work in long-term care will be the first to get the shot before the program expands to those who work in frontline health care. Also near the front of the line will be people in home care with chronic conditions that make them vulnerable to COVID-19.

A 1-800 number has been set up to allow long-term care workers who've been approved to get the vaccine to make an appointment.

And though it will likely be a long time — perhaps months — before members of the general public can receive the vaccine, the fact that vaccinations have started was welcome news at the Western Fair District's Agriplex building, where all COVID-19 vaccinations will happen at a clinic set up in just seven days. 

The first person to get vaccinated Wednesday was Karen Dann, a registered nurse and administrator at Country Terrace, a care home in Komoka dealing with an active COVID-19 outbreak. 

"This is going to be a game-changer for us," said Dann. "We have been in a 10- or 11-month battle now with COVID that we are not winning. We're not winning in the community and we're certainly not winning in the long-term care homes.

Dann said COVID-19 has taken a toll on Country Terrace residents and staff and she hopes the vaccine's arrival means better days ahead.

"We've got our armour, we never had a weapon," she said. "Today we have a weapon. The COVID vaccine is the weapon that we needed to keep our residents safe and our staff safe." 

Cheers went up moments after Dann received the shot from the clinic's health care workers who will administer thousands of vaccinations in the months to come. 

The vaccine's arrival in London is a welcome Christmas present and comes as Ontario deals with skyrocketing COVID-19 infection numbers, increasing deaths and mounting pressure on hospital intensive care wards. 

On Wednesday, London reported 88 new cases, a daily record health officials say is likely to be broken in the coming days as case counts continue to rise. 

London's vaccination clinic will be operated by the Middlesex-London Health Unit in partnership with London Health Sciences (LHSC). 

Neil Johnson, LHSC's COO, led reporters on a tour of the vaccination clinic Wednesday. 

'Everyone is pumped'

He wouldn't say exactly how many vaccine doses London has received, estimating it was "a few thousand." 

He said the clinic will start operating four, eight-hour clinics, two clinics this week, resuming again Monday through to Thursday, Dec. 31. If the vaccine supply holds up and enough staff are available, they will move to 12-hours of operation in the New Year. 

"This is one of the most exciting days for people who work in health care," said Johnson. "Everyone is pumped. This is the only thing that is going to turn the corner for our community and for our country." 

Wednesday's news that Health Canada has approved the Moderna vaccine has the potential to help ease the supply problem in London and elsewhere. 

Once delivered to the Agriplex, the Pfizer vaccine can't be moved because it must be stored at -70 C, which requires special freezers. The Moderna vaccine can be stored in a standard freezer, which makes its distribution less limited, a help in getting the vaccine to more remote and rural areas.

Can't let up on safety measures

For all the hope the vaccine brings, local health officials have cautioned that its arrival doesn't mean it's time to abandon the now familiar measures to guard against infection, such as limiting personal contact to people in your household, wearing a mask, and practising physical distancing. 

Mayor Ed Holder tweeted that though this is a crucial milestone in London's fight against COVID-19, it's only the first step in what will be a long process. 

"The vaccine has arrived, it's being administered, but this will take time," he said.  "Let's stay focused, determined and committed. We're almost there."