Anita Quidangen is a personal support worker in Toronto
The Canadian Bazaar
TORONTO: Anita Quidangen, a personal support worker (PSW) at the Rekai Centre at Sherbourne Place in Toronto, became the first person in Canada to receive a Covid-19 vaccine shot on Monday even as Ontario reported a record 2,300 new cases. Twenty more people succumbed to the disease on Monday.
Health Minister Christine Elliott tweeted, “Locally, there are 711 new cases in Toronto, 586 in Peel, 185 in Windsor-Essex County and 154 in York Region” as of Tuesday morning. Elsewhere, Hamilton reported 99 new cases, Durham 92 and Halton 65.
In yet another ominous warning, Ontario on Monday reported more people in the ICU than at any time during the current pandemic. As of Monday, 1,765 patients were in the ICU, including 267 COVID-19 patients.
But the good news is that vaccination started on Monday. Anita Quidangen is the first of about 2,500 health care workers in hospitals who will be given the vaccine shot in the coming days and weeks. Her vaccination is marks the beginning of Ontario’s three-phase plan to vaccinate people.
“Today is a historic day for Ontario and for Canada as the first Health Canada-approved COVID-19 vaccines have started to be given to our frontline health care heroes,” said Ontario Premier Doug Ford.
He said this is a watershed moment – the beginning of the end of this terrible pandemic. “The light at the end of the tunnel grows brighter every day, but we must remain on our guard.”
Praising Anita Quidangen, the Premier said, “She has worked tirelessly to care for some of our most vulnerable, both throughout this pandemic and since her first days as a PSW in 1988. Anita has spent years rolling up her sleeves to protect our province, and today, she didn’t hesitate to find a new way to do so. She represents the best of the Ontario Spirit.”
Former military chief General Hillier and the COVID-19 Vaccine Distribution Task Force are working with Health Canada and other provincial and territorial partners to ensure the vaccines are distributed quickly, so people can get immunized as soon as possible.
Urging people to observe safety restrictions during the holiday season, Ford said, “As we await the arrival of more vaccines, this is our best and only defence against this deadly virus.”
