Three-year-old Eva Boutin, sitting with her mother Caitlin, received a COVID-19 vaccination on Friday, Aug. 5, just days after the shots began being administered in Island Health. (Jordan Davidson/NanaimoNewsNOW)

By Jordan Davidson

covid vax

‘For me, it’s an easy decision:’ Nanaimo girl among first in line for COVID-19 vaccination

Aug 5, 2022 | 4:36 PM

NANAIMO — She’s among the first of her age group in Island Health to receive the newly-approved COVID-19 vaccine.

Three-year-old Eva received her first dose of the Moderna Spikevax vaccine during a visit to the public health unit near Nanaimo Regional General Hospital on Friday, Aug. 5.

Her mother, Caitlin, said it was something she’d talked about for a long time after seeing her parents and older brother all receive doses.

“She came along when her brother got vaccinated earlier and was really upset she couldn’t get a vaccine. She’s asked several times when she gets to have hers, so I asked her if it was okay if she came and if she was okay with getting a shot and she said ‘yes, I want to get a vaccine just like my brother’.”

Boutin said several members of their family suffer from chronic health issues, so it was important for them to receive the added protection once it was available.

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The four already went through a bout of COVID earlier in the year, but wanted to take steps to avoid a relapse.

“(Eva) understands how a three-year-old understands that it’s getting sick and she was okay with the idea of doing something to try and not get sick again.”

Three year old Eva got a sticker and a donut as a special treat after her COVID-19 vaccine on Friday, Aug. 5. (Jordan Davidson/NanaimoNewsNOW)

The idea of vaccinating is controversial for some, much to the regret of public health officials.

A group of around a dozen demonstrators visited the Grant Ave. facility on Tuesday, Aug. 2, yelling at nurses and unit staff before leaving leaflets on parked cars with social media posts and various religious scriptures.

The dissenting voices aren’t a concern for Boutin.

“For me, it’s an easy decision. My husband works as a medical professional, we’ve done the research and we’re very comfortable with it but we also trust doctors and trust the science behind it. We trust the medical recommendations around it for our kids just like we trust for their other vaccinations.”

She said she hopes being one of the first in line locally acts as encouragement for others in the age group to do the same.

Uptake for the vaccine has been slow across the province, among those aged six months to four years old.

On July 14, the province announced approximately 208,000 infants and children in B.C. were able to be registered for a vaccine appointment, however, as of Wednesday, Aug. 3, only around 8,200 had appointments booked.

More information on Moderna Spikevax and how to register children can be found here.

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jordan@nanaimonewsnow.com

On Twitter: @JordanDHeyNow