The first doses of the COVID-19 vaccine are now being administered in Estevan, and the manager of Creighton Lodge is impressed with the process.
Among those to receive the vaccine thus far were long-term care residents at St. Joseph’s Hospital on Thursday, staff members at St. Joseph’s on Friday and Creighton Lodge residents on Saturday.
Creighton Lodge manager Shelly Veroba said the clinic, which was held at the Estevan Church of God, was very well run, from the support workers to the registered nurses.
“Everybody just knew their positions. They knew their role and they were very, very good with the seniors. They made sure when we first walked in, they had a screening centre set up, so everybody had to stop in there,” Veroba told the Mercury.
When they walked in, everybody had to stop, sanitize their hands, answer pre-screening questions, and have their temperature taken. After an ID check, they proceeded to a waiting area to receive the vaccine.
“They had six tables, I believe, set up, and nurses at every table.”
After receiving the shot, there was another area where they would wait for 15 minutes in case of an adverse reaction.
None of the residents had a bad reaction.
She found out Friday that Creighton Lodge residents would start to receive the vaccine. Forty-five of the 50 residents received the first dose.
Twenty-four of them took the SMILE Services van to get there. Three of them went to the clinic on their own, and the others went with a family member or a friend.
At first, it appeared only half of the residents would get the first dose, but that changed.
“At 3 o’clock, I received a phone call from the public health nurse, stating they needed to have a backup plan for any extra doses that were going to be in the vials,” said Veroba. “No dose was going to be left back. It was always going to go into someone’s arm.”
At 5 p.m., some were sitting down to eat supper when they received the call that they could get the vaccine. They had their jackets and footwear with them in case the call came in.
All of the residents who received the first dose are over the age of 80.
Among the five who didn’t get the vaccine, one hasn’t actually moved in yet, and is under the age of 80, so will be in the next group. Two of them have health issues that kept them from going to the clinic, and the other two wanted to talk to a doctor to ensure it’s OK to get the vaccine because they have allergies.
Veroba noted their second-oldest resident is 99, and it was her first time out of the lodge since March 2020. A few others hadn’t left the lodge’s grounds in nearly a year.
“It’s the seniors who are truly hunkering down and have been since March, and making sure they have been protected from this.”
Veroba believes the residents are looking forward to safely gathering again with family and friends.
Funding from the United Way Estevan allowed them to pay for the transportation cost of the SMILE van.
None of the staff at the lodge have received the shot.
She also praised the staff at the clinic, who worked a long day and did so while wearing personal protective equipment throughout.
Details on vaccinations for other health care facilities was not released.
This marks one of the first times that the COVID-19 vaccine has been administered in South East Zone 4, which includes Estevan. There was a vaccine clinic at the White Bear First Nation in the second week of February.
White Bear has had 43 cases of COVID-19 so far this year. None of those cases are now active.
