After getting their first round of COVID-19 vaccinations Friday morning, Heaton Place residents were in the mood to celebrate.
The Armstrong retirement community had balloons, music and signage ready for the big day, March 12. A team of nine Interior Health staff and nurses arrived with a refrigerated batch of Pfizer shots to be administered.
Carrie O鈥橬eill, resident relations coordinator, said the long awaited day went off without a hitch.
鈥淲e spaced them out and the nurses went and gave them their shots; it went so smoothly, it was such a beautiful thing,鈥� she said.
It鈥檚 the first of two doses that are required for full vaccine efficacy, hence the sign that reads 鈥淎lmost free at last!鈥�
The next round of shots won鈥檛 be for another four weeks; the residents will be staying put until April 15 with COVID protocols still in place.
As for the shot itself, the residents assured it鈥檚 nothing to fear.
鈥淚 didn鈥檛 feel a thing,鈥� said one resident from the many that stood in the entrance to have a bit of fun with their first big step towards COVID-19 inoculation.
鈥淒idn鈥檛 even hurt!鈥� said another.
Asked if they鈥檙e looking forward to a return to freedom come April, most replied with a definite, if somewhat tepid 鈥測es鈥� 鈥� and tepid only because most seem content with the care provided staff indoors at Heaton Place.
鈥淭his is a great place to be and we鈥檙e not a bit sorry we moved in here,鈥� said one resident in his early 90s. 鈥淭hey take good care of us.鈥�
Standing outside, the residents slipped off their masks for a photo, creating for a moment a sense of normalcy they鈥檝e long been deprived of in their closed-off community.
鈥淚t鈥檇 be nice if everything would come back to normal,鈥� the resident said between breaths of fresh air.
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