Ottawa snowbirds win vaccination 'lottery'

Acouple of snowbirds from Ottawa say they feel like they've won the lottery after booking a COVID-19 vaccination at a Florida pharmacy.

Marie and Jim Morriseyspend up to six monthsa year at their lakeside condo in Lakewood Ranch, Fla., near Sarasotaon the Gulf Coast.

When the Morriseys were still in Ottawa, they heardFlorida Gov. Ron DeSantis includeCanadian snowbirds in a statewide plan to vaccinate everyone 65 and over.

"Itwas an invitation that we were happy to accept," said 66-year-old Marie, a retired nurse.

"Since we're part of the community here, it's important for us to be vaccinated as much as Floridians are."

• Some Canadian snowbirds in Florida are already getting the COVID-19 vaccine
• Many snowbirds flocking south despite Canadian government's plea to seniors to stay home

But getting an appointment proved an enormous challenge.

"Ohmy God, an appointment down here is like a lottery," Marie said. "They open up websites at a certain time ... and everybody who is over 65 ... then goes online and tries to get an appointment. So they fill up super quickly."

The Morriseys got word that a new tranche of appointments was to be offered up at midnight on Jan. 6.

"Jim kept waking up every hour, hour and a half, and checking the site. At 6 [a.m.]the site was open," Marie said.

And then it happened:the pandemicequivalent of thegolden ticket.

"[We're] ecstatic. The adrenaline is going crazy because I had spent the last five days on the computer being perpetually disappointed. I'd be refreshing the page every second. I had our internet speed upgraded ...last week for this purpose," said Jim Morrisey, 67, a retired chartered accountant.

"I'm still shaking from the adrenaline."

They ended up with an appointment Friday at a Publix pharmacynorth of Tampa Bay.

"It's about a two-hour drive for us, which is no big deal. We would have gone anywhere," said Marie, who addedthough the shot is free, they'd have been happy to pay.

Booked spots for friends

She said while they were on the website, the couplerealized they could book additional appointments.

"We were calling our friendssaying, 'We're in a site where we're able to make appointments, would you like us to make one for you?'And they said, 'Yes, absolutely!'"

In all, they booked 10 appointmentsincluding four for Canadian friendswho hadput off their ownplans to travel south because they hadn't been vaccinated.

"We told them that we had made an appointment for them, and so because of thatthey will be coming down," Marie said.

In Ontario, vaccinations are being offered first to front-line health-care workers, employees and residents of long-term care homes, and their immediate supports.

In Florida, it also includes people over age 65.

"DeSantis said, 'Why do I want to give it to a 22-year-old grocery worker who is not going to get severely ill, compared to a 65-plus person who could die?'So he's chosen a different priority group," Jim said.

"There are different approaches. Time will tell who had the right approach."

Even after they get their jabs, the Morriseyssay they'llavoid indoor spaces, except for masked trips to the grocery store.

"Until the all-clear is given, we're not changing our behaviour one bit," Jim said.

WATCH | How they feel getting a COVID-19vaccine in Florida:

Canadian couple relieved to be receiving COVID-19 vaccine in Florida

4 years ago

Duration 1:04

Ottawa residents Marie and Jim Morrisey normally spend half the year in Florida and this year, theyve made appointments to receive the COVID-19 vaccine there. Still, they say getting vaccinated wont change how careful theyre being.

Florida, with a population of 21 million, had more than 17,000 new COVID-19 cases on Jan. 6 alone. The previous day, there were just over 7,000 new cases reported across all of Canada.

Butin Florida, Jim said they can avoidclose contact with others in their walk-up condo.

"Our home in Ottawa is on the 31st floor of a highrise, and every time you go outyou ride elevators with people. Our exposure is high there," he said.

The Morriseys are fully aware of the Canadian government's recommendation against non-essential travel, but they weighed the risks and benefits and decided to return to their winter home.

Now they're getting vaccinated before mostCanadians their age.

"It wasn't a choice made to flout the advice from Canada," Jim said.

"We appreciate all the efforts the government is doing. We think they're doing the right thing. We just chose something which we thought would actually be better for our health."