Lethbridge senior on the button for vaccination encouragement

By Dale Woodard on May 19, 2021.

A Lethbridge resident believes the way out of the COVID-19 crisis really isn’t that hard to pin down.
Now, as more and more people line up to get jabbed for their COVID vaccinations, Al Barnhill is thanking those who have already done so and encouraging those who have not received their vaccinations – or are perhaps on the fence on getting them – to sign up for their shot.
For their efforts, the 83-year-old resident has a literal badge of honour in the form of 1,000 buttons he ordered that state “Had my COVID shot. Have you?”, complete with a happy face in the ‘O’ in COVID.
On Tuesday morning at the Lethbridge Seniors Lodge alongside Lethbridge City Council member Rob Miyashiro, Barnhill unveiled the buttons before heading over to the Lethbridge Exhibition Centre – where the vaccinations are being given out – to distribute them.
“There has been so much negativity around the COVID crisis around the world and even in Lethbridge,” said Barnhill. “So I had this inspiration one morning ‘What can I do that’s positive?’ I thought buttons are a big item with some people, so I came up with this button that says ‘I have my COVID shot! Have you?’
“I ordered a 1,000 of these buttons and these buttons are intended to recognize responsible people, people in the community, including children and their parents as well as recipients of the COVID vaccine. I also intended to show these people who are hesitant about having a shot.”
Barnhill noted the increasing number of people stepping up to meet the challenge of the deadly disease.
“And it is a deadly disease,” he said. “Fortunately the numbers are going down, but Canada has had thousands of deaths (25,012 as of Monday). Not only is it deadly, it’s global. It’s not going to go away any time soon, so we have to step up and get our shots and be responsible for our own well-being as well as our neighbours and people we encounter in the community.”
Miyashiro was happy to back Barnhill’s button cause.
“This is such an important thing and when Al gave me a call, and having known Al for years and knowing his standing in the community and his passion for different causes, when he told me he was doing this I jumped on board right away.”
Miyashiro said it’s known through epidemiologists and population health specialists that vaccinations are one of the easiest ways to eradicate widespread disease. 
“We’ve seen it from polio, smallpox and measles, a number of diseases you treat with vaccinations on a widespread basis to eliminate or lower the risk of infection. So this is a really nice way to reach people who are either vaccine-hesitant or people who haven’t thought about going to get it. There are some people you need to give a little nudge to.”
While the buttons are to recognize those who have gotten their shots, Miyashiro said it’s important to help those who haven’t.
“Not to berate them or to shame them, but to say ‘Hey, this will help us get this under control,’ everybody vaccinating and doing safe hygiene, safe distancing and all of those things we’ve been trying to practice the whole time and this will allow us to get back to normal sooner. We’re still going to have to wear masks for a time, we’re still going to have to social distance for a bit. However, if we get the whole population vaccinated and we get people to safeguard against COVID-19 we’ll be well on our way to recovering. That’s the important message.”
Barnhill spoke of the work of the doctors, nurses and healthcare people working around the clock.
“These people, if they’re working 24 hours, seven days a week that’s 168 hours a week. That’s a lot of commitment and energy.”
On Tuesday afternoon, Barnhill headed to the Exhibition Centre to hand out his buttons. 
The response was positive.
“They went like hotcakes,” he said, adding a number of the younger crowd that happily snapped up a button.
Barnhill got both his doses of Pfizer about a month apart.
“We’re winning the war against this deadly disease,” he said. “The CBC reported (Tuesday) morning that 50 per cent of the people who are eligible have received their shots. Is the cup half full or half empty? Well, we know it’s getting fuller and fuller of people who are stepping up, getting their shots and being socially responsible, not only for themselves, but for family and friends and the community at large. For those getting their shots, these buttons are an expression of them being socially responsible.”
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