First New Brunswickers receive COVID-19 vaccines

The first dose of COVID-19 vaccine in New Brunswick was administered to a long-term care home resident at the Miramichi Regional Hospital Saturday morning.

Pauline Gauvin, an 84-year-old Miramichi resident, received one of 1,950 Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine doses expected to be distributed to people in the province. 

Gauvin said getting the shot was a piece of cake.

"I'm used to getting needles," said Gauvin after getting the first shot.

Everyone getting this first shipment of the vaccine is from a high-priority group, which includes long-term care residents and staff, health-care workers and seniors 85 or older.

Nurses, doctors line up for shot

Nurse Nicolette Noel became the second person in New Brunswick to receive the shot. Noel is an RN at the Miramichi Regional Hospital ICU.

The jab was more personal for Noel as her mother, a public health nurse in Miramichi, gave her the shot.

"She told me to say … she gives a fabulous needle," said Noel.

"It's pretty special."

After Noel came Dr. Carl Boucher, a family and emergency room doctor from Caraquet. Following Boucher was paramedic Joel LeFort of Moncton and extra-mural nurse Mandy Whalen of Dieppe.

More needles coming

On Friday, Health Minister Dorothy Shephard said a lot of planning has gone into this weekend's clinics.

"We're fully booked, everything's in place," said Shephard.

First New Brunswicker gets COVID-19 vaccine

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Pauline Gauvin, an 84-year-old Miramichi resident, was first New Brunswicker to get the vaccine.

"So we're looking forward to a smooth weekend, and we'll get those reports when it's all done."

The decision to hold the first clinics in Miramichi was announced last week.

The province's fifth largest city was chosen because of its central location, both geographically and between the provinces two health authorities.

The province says more doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine are on the way, with 3,900 scheduled to arrive next week, 3,900 on the week of Jan. 4 and "regular deliveries" starting during the week of Jan. 11.