Manitoba issues first COVID-19 vaccine to personal care home resident

Jessi Bittner, a paramedic, inoculates Margaret Watson, 94, a resident at Oakview Place Long Term Care Residence, with her COVID-19 vaccine in the Winnipeg care home, Monday, January 11, 2021. Watson was the first member of the public to receive the vaccine in Winnipeg. THE CANADIAN PRESS/John Woods

WINNIPEG — The first resident of a personal care home in Manitoba has received the COVID-19 vaccine.

Margaret Watson, a resident of the Extendicare Oakview Place in Winnipeg, received her first dose of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine Monday morning.

Watson, 94, said she is hopeful the vaccine will lead to some changes for her and other residents, noting she has largely been confined to her room during the pandemic.

“I’ll be so glad when it’s over,” she said.

Watson said she is looking forward to “getting out” and visiting her family as soon as she is fully vaccinated against COVID-19.

“My daughter usually picks me up and takes me out, I have a granddaughter that she has me over to her place sometimes,” she said.

“I just miss seeing people, talking to people about things I know.”

Manitoba announced last week that it would begin a 28-day campaign to begin vaccinating all eligible personal care home residents in the province. The goal is to have every eligible care home resident receive both doses of the vaccine by March.

Jessi Bittner, a paramedic with Shared Health, administered the vaccine to Watson, and will be heading to all 38 care homes in Winnipeg in the coming weeks.

She said it is important to have residents of personal care homes vaccinated against COVID-19, noting how quick it has spread in facilities across Canada.

“I’m ready to get this pandemic over with, especially here,” she said. “The more vulnerable population, we obviously want to get first. I’m excited to have them finished, so we can get everybody else going as well.”

-With files from CTV's Kayla Rosen.