Pharmacist Celebrates His 1,000th COVID-19 Vaccine Given
This Pharmacist Celebrating His 1,000th Vaccine Given Is, Quite Simply, Wonderful
I couldn't wipe the smile off my face after my first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, so I can absolutely relate to Kyro Maseh, a pharmacist in Toronto, who celebrates every vaccine he administers by yelling, "Shot's in the arm!" Then his staff replies: "COVID's gone!" That would be awesome enough (I wish I was a patient at that pharmacy), but of course, Maseh had to up the ante on April 21, for the 1,000th shot his pharmacy distributed.
First, Maseh distracts his patient from the prick of the shot by telling her to "Pretend that the Leafs won the Stanley Cup." (That's the Toronto hockey team. Canada is the best.) He bandages her arm and then the celebration begins, as he yells out, "1,000th vaccine!" His staff give their usual response, then start blasting confetti as "Shots" by LMFAO and Lil Jon play in the background. That, folks, is called a perfect sequence of events, and luckily for us, it was all captured on camera.
"People need something to celebrate, to cheer them up, to lift up their spirits," Maseh told the Toronto Star of his vaccine mini-parties. "The atmosphere of the pandemic has been very stressful for everybody." Distributing the AstraZeneca vaccine (which is approved for use in Canada) from his pharmacy has helped him feel like he could take action against the pandemic, after a year of feeling so powerless. "I feel so fortunate that I'm contributing to the solution to this pandemic," Maseh explained. "I don't get it when people thank me for the vaccine — I feel personally privileged that I did something and that I don't feel helpless every day anymore."
His 1,000th vaccine celebration, and every one before that, is his way of spreading that joy and positivity. "Vaccination is a reason to celebrate," Maseh said, and hopefully, fun and quirky approaches like his will encourage even more people to get their shots. "It's our way out of the pandemic."
