94-year-old Canadian wants no gifts for her birthday, just the COVID vaccine

A 94-year-old woman in Canada wants nothing but a COVID-19 vaccine as her birthday present as she goes on to speak about the country’s vaccination rollout, lack of information on public domain, systematic failure to deliver on promises and Canada’s growing frustration with it, according to an AFP report. 

A banner outside Nina Rockett’s house says, “I am 94 today! No gifts, just the vaccine please.” The banner was made and hung by her daughter Margot on February 24 after a strong realisation that her mother has turned a year older in the middle of a virus outbreak with no vaccine.

Calling Canada’s vaccination process terrible and shameful, Margot said, “A lot
of broken promises and a lack of firm information from doctors, public
health officials and governments. I was fed up with the delay and wanted the world to know that my mother and many like her are turning older and have no vaccine to immune them against the infection.”

Margot also said that she wants this campaign to flourish and become a thing until the system takes charge of the COVID-19 vaccination fall outs and the plight of elderly citizens of Canada.

“I think everybody should hang a banner like this outside their door or window or balcony to raise awareness about the condition of older citizens like my mom in the past year,” said Margot.

On the COVID-19 inoculation front, Canada, which started its vaccination drive in December 2020 and reserved more than 400 million doses of vaccine from seven suppliers, is lagging heavily behind primarily because it has no production capacity of its own.

Being a country to depend on imports of COVID-19, it is hit by delivery delays and shortage of drug doses. European manufacturing has its role to play too.

As of now, Canada has managed to vaccinate even less than 3% of its population of 38 million.

However, the country has approved the third vaccine, one
developed by AstraZeneca for usage on Friday.