(Ottawa) Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his wife Sophie Gregoire Trudeau received their first dose of AstraZeneca vaccine.
It all happened at a drugstore in Ottawa, early Friday afternoon.
Immediately after receiving his dose, Mr. Trudeau shouted “Yes!” And threw both thumbsI Grégoire Trudeau, along with him, received his dose a few moments later.
The pharmacist who gave them the vaccine told them that they could experience minor side effects, such as fatigue or chills, within 72 hours.
She added that they will have news of their second dose via email when the time is right.
Earlier, at a press conference, Mr. Trudeau said he and his wife were “looking forward” to receiving a first dose of the vaccine.
He said, “It is a pleasure to know that this simple gesture helps protect ourselves, but above all to protect those we love around us.”
Mr. Trudeau called on all eligible persons to make an appointment “as soon as possible”.
“By doing our part, we will defeat this virus,” he added.
Ontario now offers the AstraZeneca vaccine to people over the age of 40. So many federal politicians in this age group wanted to lead by example.
New Democratic Leader Jagmit Singh was vaccinated on Wednesday. Conservative leader Erin O’Toole will do the same over the weekend.
AstraZeneca: Safe American Doses
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is ensuring that Canadians do not have to worry about doses of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine coming from the United States.
Trudeau says Canada has received assurances that the doses “on loan” from the United States have not been affected by recent production problems at a facility in Baltimore.
The United States has about 30 million overdoses of the AstraZeneca vaccine, which has been approved in Canada but has not yet been done south of the border.
The Baltimore plant, which destroyed 15 million doses of Johnson & Johnson vaccine, is no longer producing the AstraZeneca version.
Trudeau says he was not surprised earlier this week to hear President Joe Biden hint that more vaccines could arrive in Canada.
Biden said on Wednesday that the United States has already provided 1.5 million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine to Canada and hopes to provide more in the future.