Nova Scotia family asks public health to shorten daughter's wait for second COVID-19 vaccine shot
The Simpson family from Upper Sackville, N.S. appears to be similar to many other Maritime families. Their 11-year-old daughter Katherine is in the sixth grade.
"She really loves being at school," said her father Pete Simpson, who along with his wife Lisa, also has 4-year-old son Jack to keep them busy.
However, inside the Simpson home, things are far from routine. Katherine relies on her family for her care and daily living.
Katherine was born with a rare medical condition called an unbalanced translocation. She spent 10 of her first 12 months in hospital at the IWK Health Centre.
"She's nonverbal and she's non-mobile," said Simpson. "She's in a wheelchair and she's on oxygen."
Katherine also has epilepsy and severe chronic lung disease.
"She has had a tracheostomy and she's on a ventilator at night," said Simpson.
The Simpsons are now awaiting Katherine's second dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, which has brought added concerns.
"Having to wait eight weeks between doses and she had her first dose Dec. 9," said Simpson. "That means we have to wait until Feb. 3 to get her second dose."
Both parents are now working from home and the kids are not attending school. Simpson said exposing Katherine to the Omicron variant, before she get her second vaccination shot, is a life or death gamble.
"It really could be one bad illness that takes her from us," said Simpson.
The family wants the Nova Scotia Department of Health and Wellness to allow an exception, and give Katherine her second shot sooner.
"We don't really have a good access to advocate to public health directly," said Simpson.
"There are very few exceptions given to this interval. We will look into whether their daughter is eligible for an earlier vaccination," said public health in an email to CTV News.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Widow looking for answers after Quebec man dies in Texas Ironman competition
The widow of a Quebec man who died competing in an Ironman competition is looking for answers.
Tom Mulcair: Park littered with trash after 'pilot project' is perfect symbol of Trudeau governance
Former NDP leader Tom Mulcair says that what's happening now in a trash-littered federal park in Quebec is a perfect metaphor for how the Trudeau government runs things.
World seeing near breakdown of international law amid wars in Gaza and Ukraine, Amnesty says
The world is seeing a near breakdown of international law amid flagrant rule-breaking in Gaza and Ukraine, multiplying armed conflicts, the rise of authoritarianism and huge rights violations in Sudan, Ethiopia and Myanmar, Amnesty International warned Wednesday as it published its annual report.
Photographer alleges he was forced to watch Megan Thee Stallion have sex and was unfairly fired
A photographer who worked for Megan Thee Stallion said in a lawsuit filed Tuesday that he was forced to watch her have sex, was unfairly fired soon after and was abused as her employee.
Amid concerns over 'collateral damage' Trudeau, Freeland defend capital gains tax change
Facing pushback from physicians and businesspeople over the coming increase to the capital gains inclusion rate, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his deputy Chrystia Freeland are standing by their plan to target Canada's highest earners.
U.S. Senate passes bill forcing TikTok's parent company to sell or face ban, sends to Biden for signature
The Senate passed legislation Tuesday that would force TikTok's China-based parent company to sell the social media platform under the threat of a ban, a contentious move by U.S. lawmakers that's expected to face legal challenges.
Wildfire southwest of Peace River spurs evacuation order
People living near a wildfire burning about 15 kilometres southwest of Peace River are being told to evacuate their homes.
U.S. Senate overwhelmingly passes aid for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan with big bipartisan vote
The U.S. Senate has passed US$95 billion in war aid to Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan, sending the legislation to President Joe Biden after months of delays and contentious debate over how involved the United States should be in foreign wars.
'My stomach dropped': Winnipeg man speaks out after being criminally harassed following single online date
A Winnipeg man said a single date gone wrong led to years of criminal harassment, false arrests, stress and depression.