'Quit being jerks': N.S. lung transplant patient urges health officials to green light second booster
A celebrated lung transplant patient is urging Nova Scotia health officials to green light a fourth COVID-19 shot for him soon -- or he'll fly to Toronto and get it there.
In fact, that's how John Dennis says he got his third shot, and that the province paid for it, though health officials dispute his claim.
The 77-year-old received a single lung in a transplant operation in Toronto on March 12, 2021.
Dennis describes his surgery and recovery as "fantastic."
Living independently at Northwood, a long-term care home in Halifax, he says he has heard as many as half-a-dozen residents have been infected with COVID-19 recently -- a terrifying prospect for Dennis, who's considered the oldest living lung transplant patient in Nova Scotia.
His wife, Penny, died of COVID-19 complications during the first wave in 2020.
Dennis has spoken to CTV News before about vaccination mandates for workers in long-term care facilities.
Anxious to avoid the virus, Dennis got his first two shots in Nova Scotia as soon as he was eligible, but he was worried it was taking too long to get his booster.
The transplant team in Toronto agreed, so he flew there in September for a hospital appointment he says took all of 15 minutes.
"I had to go up in the morning, get the shot, get back to the airport, and fly home all in the same day," he says.
Because it was a medical expense, Dennis submitted a claim to the province and his bank account shows a $1,000 payment on Sept. 22, 2021.
Now, four-and-a-half months later, he's anxious to get shot number four, but says that's proving to be a problem.
"I'm immune-suppressed, and my antibody count is down, and I'm concerned," he says.
"I cannot afford to get sick and get COVID. It could kill me."
Earlier this month, Ontario announced it would offer fourth doses to immunocompromised individuals, but other provinces haven't followed suit.
"We cannot speak to specific circumstances, but Nova Scotia follows the advice and recommendations of the National Advisory Committee on Immunization (NACI)," says an emailed statement from Marla MacInnis, spokesperson for the Department of Health and Wellness.
"Once NACI provided their recommendations on third doses, we moved quickly to offer them to eligible Nova Scotians, with priority given to those in long-term care facilities."
“NACI has not recommended a fourth dose of a COVID-19 vaccine and so fourth doses are not being offered in Nova Scotia at this time," reads the statement, which also adds that the province doesn’t pay for people to leave Nova Scotia for a COVID-19 vaccine.
The Lung Association of Nova Scotia says it's been hearing from other patients with similar concerns.
"Given that this is a respiratory illness and these people are already dealing with compromised lung health, we can definitely understand why people are concerned," says Michelle Donaldson, communications and special projects manager for the association.
CTV News tried to verify the number of residents with COVID-19 at Northwood Towers Monday, but the information wasn't available.
"As independent tenants, they are not obliged to share their COVID-19 status with us," said communications and marketing specialist Murray Stenton via email.
"If tenants have shared that information, we have provided them with the Public Health guidelines for isolation and testing."
Dennis says he won't hesitate to go back to Toronto to get the shot that's available at nearly every pharmacy in Nova Scotia-- and he'll apply for reimbursement.
"That's part of my healthcare treatment, and therefore it is covered, and I'd fight them in court for it if I had to,” he says.
"Quit being jerks. Give me my shot and get it over with and let us live our lives in peace."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'I just can't believe that it took so long': Body found in wreckage 3 months after deadly fire
A man accused of arson in a January Old Strathcona apartment fire is expected to be charged with manslaughter after a body was discovered in the burned building late last month.
No proof man lied to brother about number of kittens born in litter, B.C. tribunal rules
A man was denied a $5,000 payout from his brother after a B.C. tribunal dismissed his claim disputing how many kittens were born in a litter.
Quebec police hand out hundreds of tickets to Hells Angels and other bikers before 'first run' meeting
Quebec provincial police handed out hundreds of fines to Hells Angels members and other supporting motorcycle clubs who met for their 'first run' in a small town near Sherbrooke, Que.
Grandparents killed in wrong-way crash on Hwy. 401 identified
A 60-year-old man and a 55-year-old woman killed in a wrong-way crash on Highway 401 earlier this week have been identified by the Consulate General of India in Toronto.
Auston Matthews skates ahead of Game 7, status unclear with season on the line
Centre Auston Matthews of the Toronto Maple Leafs hasn't been ruled out of tonight's Game 7 against the Boston Bruins.
Snakes almost on a plane: U.S. TSA discovers a bag with small snakes in passenger's pants
According to an X post by the Transportation Security Administration, officers at the Miami International Airport found the small bag of snakes hidden in a passenger's trousers on April 26 at a checkpoint.
A Chinese driver is praised for helping reduce casualties in a highway collapse that killed 48
A Chinese truck driver was praised in local media Saturday for parking his vehicle across a highway and preventing more cars from tumbling down a slope after a section of the road in the country's mountainous south collapsed and killed at least 48 people.
Russia puts Ukrainian President Zelenskyy on its wanted list
Russia has put Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on its wanted list, Russian state media reported Saturday, citing the interior ministry’s database.
Britney Spears 'home and safe' after paramedics responded to an incident at the Chateau Marmont, source tells CNN
A source close to singer Britney Spears tells CNN that the pop star is 'home and safe' after she had a 'major fight' with her boyfriend on Wednesday night at the Chateau Marmont in West Hollywood.