Thursday, March 28, 2024

Lawton’s fully booked for first round of vaccinations

  • March 31 2021
  • By Janice Christie, Local Journalism Initiative reporter    

SHEET HARBOUR – Residents were quick to answer the call put out by Lawton’s Sheet Harbour pharmacist, Tanya Smiley, on March 25 for those 75 and over to book appointments for their first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine.

The initial 300 openings for a six-day period – March 30 and 31, and April 5-8 – are booked.

While the first call went out to residents age 80-plus, it expanded to 75 and over.

Smiley says she is pleased with the response for the first clinic, which will administer the Moderna vaccine.

She encourages those with online accessibility to go to novascotia.ca/vaccination to book, when new appointment dates are announced. Or call 1-833-797-7772, although the wait time to get through can be lengthy.

Seniors can book directly at Lawton’s at 902-885-2655 (Ext. 2), which helps those who do not use the Internet.

“It is okay to do this if they do not have another option, like family, to help them,” Smiley says.

To cancel or change, she notes the person must contact the booking line.

“We do not have the capability to cancel or change at the store level,” Smiley adds.

Details around the vaccination rollout can change quickly. Smiley says she has no way of predicting when the entire area of the Eastern Shore will be inoculated.

“The clinics and amount of vaccine changes often. Sometimes we may not know until a couple of weeks in advance. Clinics are subject to provincial vaccine availability,” she explains.

Appointments are booked in 10-minute time slots. A greeter will meet residents at the Lawton’s entrance to complete a check-in, and then they will be directed to the vaccination area where Smiley will administer the vaccination.

“Once vaccinated, it is very important to be monitored for 15 minutes afterwards. You will be directed to a designated area for monitoring,” Smiley says.