PSW who lost her father to COVID-19 is first in Windsor to receive vaccine as local rollout begins

The first person to receive thecoronavirus vaccine from health officials in Windsor-Essex is a personal support worker who lost her father to COVID-19.

Krystal Meloche, who works atSeasonsBelle River retirement home, saidshe knows her father George would beproud of her today.

"I know what he went through and the heartache that we're all going through," she said.

"And I know that right now that he is with me."

Meloche is one of about 2,000 people in the regionexpected to be vaccinated from the first batch ofPfizer-BioNtech vaccine.Alimited supply arrived inWindsor onMonday.

"Being in the field that I am, and working with the most vulnerable sector out there, I have to protect myself, my family, and myresidents," Meloche said.

Five people were nominated to become the region'sfirst recipients of the vaccine. They included two nurses, a doctor, the owner of a seniors'homeas well as aretirementresidence manager.

Per provincial guidelines, workers at long-term care homes that are currently not suffering COVID-19 outbreaks will be first to receive the shot.

As additional supply of thevaccine and potentiallyother vaccines becomes available, groups of people will receive the vaccine according to priority.

In addition to staff, residents and caregiversat retirement homes and other congregate living settings have been identified as the toppriority, followed by health-care workers, adults in Indigenous communities and those who receive regular home health-care.

Windsor Regional Hospital, which is overseeing the distribution atSt. Clair College Sportsplex,saidthe productwas being stored in freezers at 80 C.

"Clearly, this is an exciting day for Windsor-Essex," said hospital CEO DavidMusyj.

He said it was a "monumental task" to get to this point.

Despite the arrival of the vaccine, the next few months will be the most difficult of the pandemic, Musyj said.

"It's so important that together as a community we come together,celebrate the day, but we're clearly not out of the woods," he said.

Dr. Wajid Ahmed, medical officer of health for the Windsor-Essex County Health Unit, said that for non-priority groups, the vaccine may start to be available by early spring.

"We can see some light at the end of the tunnel, but again, the tunnel is very long," he said Monday. "We still have to be patient with all these vaccines that are coming in."

The vaccine's arrival comes as the second wave of the virus rages in Windsor-Essex.

The region has recorded acumulative total of more than 6,000 cases,and there are more than 30activeoutbreaks, manyin long-term care homes.

On Monday, health officials saidfourmoreresidents have died due to COVID-19, and213 new cases of the virus have been diagnosed.

Thedeaths mark a grim pandemic milestone for the region,bringing the number of people who have lost their lives to the illness over 100.