London Knights forward Luke Evangelista is used to taking shots in the ice, but he wants to tell fans about the two he took in his arm.
The 19-year-old OHL player joined the Middlesex-London Health Unit's media briefing to talk about his decision to get vaccinated, and encourage people in his age demographic to do the same. He received both his first and second shot while in Chicago, playing for the American Hockey League's Wolves.
"Fortunately, I was about to get both doses of the Pfizer vaccine. I feel that's the least I can do to help us get back to normal life as soon as possible," Evangelista said on the call. "Get back to whatever it is that you love, for me, hockey, sports. Get back to school for kids, go see your family. I feel like it's really important for us to get our vaccines."
Evangelista is a second round draft pick of the Nashville Predators. He signed his first pro contract with the team in November.
"Nothing too bad, my shoulder was a little heavy, a little sore," Evangelista said when asked about how he felt the days after getting his shot. "But I think mostly for me, mentally, it was good to have it. Just to get those shots was really big."
Meantime, the Health Unit is asking Londoners of all eligible ages to book their vaccine appointments.
"As of (Tuesday) morning, there were just over 10,000 appointments left in the system, but they're booking up quickly," said Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. Chris Mackie. "We are working with the school boards to get the message out (to school aged kids who are vaccine eligible)."
Anyone over the age of 12 can book a vaccine appointment on the Health Unit's website.
https://twitter.com/Healthmac/status/1397263809958526983
As of May 22nd, 53.7% of adults 18 an older had received at least their first dose of the vaccine in Middlesex-London. More than 250,000 doses have been given.
COVID-19 case counts were also very low though the weekend. The Health Unit reported only 11 new cases, however, that did come with a decline in the number people getting tested.
