Fiona-related power outages impact some COVID-19 vaccine appointments in N.S.
Some Nova Scotians scheduled for a COVID-19 or other vaccination this week may be asked to rebook due to impacts of power outages on vaccine supplies.
In a news release Tuesday, the province says COVID-19 and other vaccines only remain effective when stored at a specific temperature, part of what is known as "cold chain."
Widespread power outages cause by Fiona have disrupted the cold chain at some pharmacies and other sites where vaccines were stored.
"Public Health staff will need to confirm that vaccines have maintained the appropriate temperature at affected sites," read the release. "It will take between five and seven business days for Public Health to assess the cold chain with pharmacies, doctors’ offices and other sites across the province."
The province says a small number of appointments booked for this week will be cancelled while that work is done.
Those Nova Scotians will receive a call from their local pharmacy or clinic, or they may get an email cancellation from CanImmunize.
“I know this is disappointing and frustrating for some Nova Scotians, but we need to ensure the vaccines we are administering are effective,” said Dr. Robert Strang, Nova Scotia's chief medical officer of health, in a news release Tuesday.
The province says Public Health is working with pharmacies and other immunizers to determine next steps.
"Nova Scotians who received a dose of vaccine since Saturday may be called back by their provider to receive another dose if it is found that their vaccine was stored at an improper temperature. If they do not receive a call, that means their immunizer was unaffected," read the news release.
Anyone concerned about a dose received in recent days should contact the provider where they received their vaccine.
Nova Scotia’s supply of Imvamune, the monkeypox vaccine, was not affected because power was maintained at its storage site, the provincial bio depot in Dartmouth.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
Northern Ont. lawyer who abandoned clients in child protection cases disbarred
A North Bay, Ont., lawyer who abandoned 15 clients – many of them child protection cases – has lost his licence to practise law.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Maple Leafs fall to Bruins in Game 3, trail series 2-1
Brad Marchand scored twice, including the winner in the third period, and added an assist as the Boston Bruins downed the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-2 to take a 2-1 lead in their first-round playoff series Wednesday
Cuban government apologizes to Montreal-area family after delivering wrong body
Cuba's foreign affairs minister has apologized to a Montreal-area family after they were sent the wrong body following the death of a loved one.
'It was instant karma': Viral video captures failed theft attempt in Nanaimo, B.C.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
New Indigenous loan guarantee program a 'really big deal,' Freeland says at Toronto conference
Canada's Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland was among the 1,700 delegates attending the two-day First Nations Major Projects Coalition (FNMPC) conference that concluded Tuesday in Toronto.
'Life was not fair to him': Daughter of N.B. man exonerated of murder remembers him as a kind soul
The daughter of a New Brunswick man recently exonerated from murder, is remembering her father as somebody who, despite a wrongful conviction, never became bitter or angry.