MEDICINE HAT, AB – Alberta has given the first long-term care resident the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine in Medicine Hat.
Premier Jason Kenney tweeted the news on Wednesday morning.
Last week, Dr. Byron Hirsch was the first person vaccinated in Medicine Hat.
Hirsch is a family physician who’s worked with seniors in long-term care and supportive living for the past 10 years.
In a statement from AHS, the 63-year-old doctor says being part of the first round of front-line workers to receive the vaccine gives him hope that it will start to control the spread of COVID-19 in long-term care.
He hopes by showing himself receiving the vaccine that he can set an example for staff who may be reluctant to take it themselves. “There are all kinds of theories out there,” he says, “but the sooner we can get a large volume of people vaccinated, the quicker we can get out of the restrictions in long-term care facilities.”
