As far as dates go for launching a COVID-19 immunization clinic, few would be more appropriate than March 1.
For this reporter anyway, flipping the calendar from February to March has always brought about a certain satisfaction. As if by turning the page from Feb. 28 to March 1, winter would suddenly end and spring flowers would magically sprout from the ground, birds would return to treetops and t-shirt weather would abound.
Of course as Monday’s weather demonstrated, it doesn’t really work that way. Winter is very much still here. The same can be said for the opening of Kingston Frontenac Lennox and Addington Public Health’s first immunization clinic, which took place March 1 at Kingston’s Invista Centre. The fact that KFLA staff is now immunizing members of the public doesn’t mean the yearlong winter of COVID-19 is instantaneously over. But just like the patch of grass that starts to poke through a melting snow bank, it’s a huge step in the right direction.
Oddly enough, it’s usually around this time each year this reporter makes an annual trip to the Invista Centre to cover the NDSS Golden Hawks girls hockey team’s annual appearance in the KASSAA finals-and more recently the boys team has made a habit of playing in the championship game as well. Covering a hockey game might be more exciting, but being on hand to witness the official opening of a vaccination clinic was an honour as well. Ideally decades from now local historians will note the vaccination clinics were a major break through in the hopefully by then long forgotten pandemic.
With each passing day more sleeves will be rolled up, more vaccines administered and the country will continue to move towards herd immunity, which experts estimate requires a 70 to 75 per cent vaccination rate.
An obvious ingredient to reach that goal is a steady supply of the vaccine itself. KFLA medical officer of health Dr. Kieran Moore was very careful to caution the goal of 10,000 daily vaccines administered was contingent on having enough doses to meet the demand. Some good news on that front came late last week when it was announced Canada would more than double the number of vaccines distributed across the country compared to the previous two weeks. Adding to the good news was the fact Health Canada had approved the AstraZeneca vaccine, which could soon be distributed along with the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines that are currently being circulated in the first phase of the vaccine roll out.
The grueling marathon battle against COVID-19 isn’t over yet, but for the first time in a year it can realistically be said the finish line is in sight, albeit still pretty far off in the distance. Through it all this region has managed to buck trends seen across the province and keep infection rates well below average.
Recent headlines surrounding local vaccine clinics will hopefully provide the perfect pick-up just as another wave of pandemic fatigue was starting to creep into the community. Much like the start of March, the winter isn’t over just yet. But its days are numbered.
-Adam Prudhomme