HALIFAX -- Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Matthew MacDonald hasn't left his Cape Breton home much in the past year.

MacDonald, 28, lives with Marfan Syndrome and as a result has COPD and congestive heart failure.

"I've basically been isolated for the past year or so," said MacDonald.

He is anxious to get a COVID vaccine so he can spend time with his family and friends again. Something that likely won't happen for some time because Nova Scotia's vaccine rollout is primarily age-based.

"It's an age-based approach that allows us to get as many vaccines in people's arms as quickly as possible. So, that is our objective, building population immunity as quickly as possible." Dr. Robert Strang, Nova Scotia's chief medical officer of health, said Tuesday at a press conference.

In P.E.I., adults aged 18 to 59 with underlying medical conditions are in the second phase of the island's immunization plan.

Likewise in New Brunswick, where people who have certain select complex medical conditions and those between 40 and 69 who have three or more chronic health conditions are also in the second phase.

Matthew's mother, Beth MacDonald Harbin, thinks people with complex medical conditions, like her son, aren't being prioritized.

MacDonald Harbin believes Nova Scotia could immunize young people with complex medical issues without slowing down the overall vaccine plan.

"Do they feel addressing the rotational workers slowed things down? I don't believe so. I've never heard them complaining about that but if we're looking at this very vulnerable community that's going to slow things down, that's totally false," she said.

How the shots are being rolled out in Nova Scotia has left Matthew MacDonald feeling left out.

"I don't want this only for me," he said. "I'm trying to get this message out and blast it as loud as I can to try to, because I know that there are people who might not have the voice that I do and might not have the friends that I do and might now be able to do this kind of stuff."

The family reached out to both the Premier and Dr. Strang's office with their concerns, but say they have not gotten anywhere yet.   

"I'm an angry mother," said MacDonald Harbin. "For one thing, we've had total lack of accountability from our elected officials. Nobody's called us back, we've emailed, we've messaged. We've reached out to the media and the fact that we have to get our message across by going on television is appalling. It's appalling."