From both a personal and work perspective, my life has always revolved around making connections with people, so the last year has been difficult in that way because we just don’t have that right now.
With that in mind, my wife and I registered at ProtectMB.ca for our COVID-19 vaccine early on so we could get notified when we were eligible. We were both really looking forward to it because we knew it would give us a greater feeling of protection from COVID-19 and everything that entails.
When my age group was added to the priority list, sure enough, I received an automated email inviting me to make an appointment. From there I went online and had my appointment booked in a matter of minutes. My appointment was in early April and my experience continued to be a really positive one.
The day of my vaccination, I arrived at the RBC Convention Centre just before my appointment time and for me it kind of felt like the first day of school. I had some nerves, but mostly a lot of excitement and anticipation. From the moment I arrived everyone I encountered was very pleasant, and I was prepared to wait a while if needed. After all, I believe getting vaccinated is the only way we’re going to find our way out of this pandemic. But the process for me, and the people around me that day, seemed flawless and the whole process only took about 35 minutes – start to finish!
The next step for us is getting my wife vaccinated, and her appointment is coming up soon. From there, like everyone else, we’re looking forward to the day when a lot more vaccinations are in a lot more arms–so we can all start connecting in person again.
The COVID pandemic has been terrible for so many people across the globe and I believe my wife and I have been as lucky as you can be given the circumstances. Although I don’t think I would ever describe a positive thing coming from a worldwide pandemic, I do hope this experience leaves us all with a little better appreciation for our freedoms, and everything we’re fortunate enough to have in our lives.
Bottom line, when you go through something like this I think it’s our responsibility to make sure we learn from it and I think there’s lots we can learn on both a personal and community level.
