‘Take The First Vaccine You’re Offered’: MP

Wayne Long says he did not hesitate for a moment to get the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine.

The MP for Saint John-Rothesay received his first dose Thursday afternoon at a clinic in Saint John

Long shared a photo to social media shortly after getting his jab encouraging others to also get vaccinated.

“Some people are fearful and I want to show as a leader that the best thing we can do is take the first vaccine we’re offered,” Long said in an interview Thursday evening.

Earlier this week, Canada reported its first case of someone experiencing a blood clot after receiving the AstraZeneca vaccine.

It came two weeks after the country’s vaccine advisory committee recommended pausing AstraZeneza vaccines to people under 55 after reports of similar clots in Europe.

But Health Canada says the side effect is “very rare” and the benefits of the vaccine to protect against COVID-19 outweigh the potential risks.

“People are overreacting to the AstraZeneca [vaccine],” Long said, adding there is a lot of “unnecessary” vaccine hesitancy in the community.

“My message to people in Saint John-Rothesay is take the first vaccine you’re offered,” he added. “The AstraZeneca is the one that was available to me. I gladly took it. It very well could save my life in the future.”

Long said the process to get his vaccine was “extremely easy.” The MP said he booked an appointment through the Government of New Brunswick website for 3:20 p.m. Thursday.

“They were organized, they were efficient,” he said. “I was in and out of there in basically 20, 25 minutes.”

“My arm is a little sore here tonight, but beyond that, I’m good to go and I was very appreciative to get my vaccine.”

As of Thursday, more than 157,000 New Brunswickers had received at least their first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, according to the province’s COVID-19 dashboard.

You can find the latest information on the government’s vaccine rollout plan online.

I did the research. Talked to medical professionals.
Take the first vaccine you are offered. I was thrilled to get my AstraZeneca shot! pic.twitter.com/T7GwC5GIUU

— Wayne Long (@WayneLongSJ) April 15, 2021