One year ago, Krystal Meloche became the first person in Windsor-Essex to receive the COVID-19 vaccine.
Windsor Regional Hospital is celebrating the milestone on Wednesday by applauding health care workers across the region, along with its partners at the Windsor-Essex County Health Unit and the City of Windsor.
Meloche, a personal support worker, was nominated by her colleagues at Seasons in Belle River, a long-term care home. She received the Pfizer shot at the Sportsplex at St. Clair College and was one of several to step forward on December 22, 2020.
At the time, only health care workers in high-risk settings were eligible to get the vaccine because of the short supply. Since then, more than 725,000 doses have been administered into the arms of over 340,000 residents.
For Meloche, getting the shot was personal. She lost her father to the virus the spring before there was a vaccine.
"There is still plenty of work ahead," said Nicole Dupuis, the CEO at the health unit. "Today marks the opportunity to look back on what has been accomplished and thank residents of Windsor-Essex for their trust and altruistic sense of community."
Last March, the work of vaccinating a public anxious to get protection became a seven-day operation with no less than 15 phones ringing at one time at the health unit's booking centre.
Mass vaccination centre at the WFCU Centre in Windsor, March 3, 2021. (Photo by Maureen Revait)
The first mass vaccination centre opened at the WFCU Centre in February, soon followed by others at the historic Windsor Hall in downtown Windsor, Nature Fresh Farms Recreation Centre in Leamington, Atlas Tube Centre in Lakeshore, and the Libro Credit Union Centre in Amherstburg.
The vaccination centre in the former Sears Store at Devonshire Mall opened in June and remains open. It is open to anyone five and older who wants their first, second, or booster shot.
"We know that vaccinations does not mean you will never get COVID-19, but it does make the risk of getting very sick, and the risk of transmitting the virus to someone you love is greatly reduced," said Windsor Regional Hospital Chief of Staff Doctor Wassim Saad. "We also know that the vast majority of COVID-19 cases in our intensive care unit involve unvaccinated or only partially vaccinated individuals. We cannot stress enough that if you are eligible for a vaccination, please book one right away."
