Orleans pharmacy administers hundreds of boosters with overnight clinic
At Avalon Compounding Pharmacy in Orléans, approximately 780 COVID-19 vaccine booster shots were administered by Saturday afternoon, but some people weren’t so lucky.
“I came, it’s already over I have to come back again Monday,” said Makanza Pae hoping to get a COVID-19 shot.
The pharmacy held an overnight vaccine clinic Friday, taking only walk-ins. The lineup began as early as 5 p.m., with many staying late into the night in minus 20 degree weather, only to be turned away around midnight because of technical issues.
“We had some hiccups in our system,” said compounding pharmacist Andrew Hanna. “Power outages computer system failures… it did add to the delay of getting vaccinated and it delayed our flow.”
That delay meant more frustration for many who have been desperately trying to get their hands on a third dose.
"These guys have been working all night, working hard," said David Brown. "It's a crapshoot sometimes, the way it's working. You get lucky or you don't. In this case, I got a shot."
As of Friday, at least 45 per cent of eligible adults in Ottawa had received a third dose.
The rush to get doses into arms continues with Ottawa Public Health announcing 50,000 new appointments on Saturday. In Pembroke, a walk-in clinic was also offered to residents.
This comes as the Omicron variant spreads and hospitalization numbers are on the rise. Ottawa Public Health says 51 residents are in hospital, being treated for an active COVID-19 infection, eight more since Friday. Seven of them are in the ICU and two more people have died.
People eager for booster shots came to the Orléans from all around, hoping to secure a dose.
“We were going to come at two in the morning. We were ready but we heard the power was out so we came this morning,” said Cherie Gambell, a Grade 1 teacher who drove from Russell, arriving around 11 a.m. and successfully securing a booster shot.
“We’re ready to protect the kids and ourselves—mainly the kids—so we can get them back into school,” said Gambell.
The pharmacy said there are about 200 vaccines that they can give on Monday, on a first-come, first-served basis. They are expecting 800 to 900 more doses by Friday.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Invasive and toxic hammerhead worms make themselves at home in Ontario
Ontario is now home to an invasive and toxic worm species that can grow up to three feet long and can be dangerous to small animals and pets.
Opinion I just don't get Taylor Swift
It's one thing to say you like Taylor Swift and her music, but don't blame CNN's AJ Willingham's when she says she just 'doesn't get' the global phenomenon.
It's 30 years since apartheid ended. South Africa's celebrations are set against growing discontent
South Africa marked 30 years since the end of apartheid and the birth of its democracy with a ceremony in the capital Saturday that included a 21-gun salute and the waving of the nation's multicolored flag.
Britney Spears settles long-running legal dispute with estranged father, finally bringing ultimate end to conservatorship
Britney Spears has reached a settlement with her estranged father more than two years after the court-ordered termination of a conservatorship that had given him control of her life, their attorneys said.
Last letters of pioneering climber who died on Everest reveal dark side of mountaineering
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
opinion RFK Jr.'s presidential candidacy and its potential threat to Biden and Trump
Although it's still unclear how much damage Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s candidacy can do to either Joe Biden or Donald Trump this election, Washington political columnist Eric Ham says what is clear is both sides recognize the potential threat.
Haida elder suing Catholic Church and priest, hopes for 'healing and reconciliation'
The lawyer for a residential school survivor leading a proposed class-action defamation lawsuit against the Catholic Church over residential schools says the court action is a last resort.
An emergency slide falls off a Delta Air Lines plane, forcing pilots to return to JFK in New York
An emergency slide fell off a Delta Air Lines jetliner shortly after takeoff Friday from New York, and pilots who felt a vibration in the plane circled back to land safely at JFK Airport.
From pop to politics, what to know as Sweden prepares for the 2024 Eurovision Song Contest
Taking place in May in Malmo, Sweden, the 68th annual competition will see acts from 37 countries vie for the continent’s pop crown in a feelgood extravaganza that strives — not always successfully – to banish international strife and division. And you don’t have to be in Europe to watch, or to help pick the winner.