Sean Simpson understands some are reluctant but advises all the vaccines will prevent serious COVID complications

Sean Simpson is keen to start vaccinating the 3,500 people on his pharmacy’s growing notification list, but in the meantime he strongly advises everyone who is eligible for a COVID-19 vaccine to get the shot ASAP – no matter which vaccine.

“The fastest way to get this this whole pandemic over with is to find a way to get a needle in your arm and get vaccinated, as soon as possible,” the Niagara-on-the-Lake pharmacist said in an interview Tuesday.

“I know there's people that are on the fence, but I don't I don't think anybody's looking for a way to prolong lockdowns and other restrictions. So if people are tired of wearing masks or they're tired of all these rules or having to get tested, the best way forward is to get vaccinated,” Simpson told The Lake Report.

“We’ve seen now that the vaccines are safe and effective, so let’s get it done.”

Whether you get the shot in Niagara or travel to Toronto or elsewhere to be vaccinated, he emphasized that the most important thing is to get the jab.

“I would encourage people to take whatever means they have available to them, in order to get themselves protected.”

Simpson understands that some people are hesitant about vaccines, especially when they are so new. And AstraZeneca’s in particular has prompted concerns about everything from blood clots to questions about the accuracy of its U.S. patient trials.

However, he noted the scientific data has shown the blood clot concerns were unwarranted. And worldwide data has shown the vaccine prevents deaths and hospitalizations.

“I think everybody should be jumping at the first opportunity to get any of the vaccines available,” Simpson said.

“They're more effective, the sooner you get them, so if people are passing up an opportunity to get one vaccine in front of the other, they're potentially putting themselves at a greater risk than they might realize.”

He is thankful for the speed with which the new vaccines have been developed, something that is unprecedented.

“If we reflect back to where we were a year ago and we were all just praying for a vaccine, it's a pretty significant achievement of modern medicine that we actually have vaccines at this time,” he said.

Everyone has heard the advice to “be patient” and follow all the COVID protocols. But as people are vaccinated over the next month or two, Simpson anticipates seeing a significant drop in hospitalization and mortality rates.

“We all want things to happen faster” and with hundreds more pharmacies across Ontario expecting to hear any day now that they will be able to inoculate patients, he is confident that COVID can be beaten.

He’s “chomping at the bit” and ready to start offering vaccinations.

If all goes according to plan, “We’ll be well on our way to keeping the members of our community safe and each other safe, and getting our local restaurants and hotels and wineries and breweries, and everything else, open.”