Therapy dog visits B.C. COVID-19 vaccine clinic to comfort those anxious about jabs

Officials in the Interior Health region have recruited a therapy dog to boost COVID-19 immunizations efforts.

Nova, a St. John Ambulance therapy dog, will visit an immunization clinic in Trail, B.C., on Thursday morning to provide comfort to those who are afraid of needles.

2:07 How to handle ‘needle phobia’ during COVID-19 vaccinations

According to Interior Health, anxiety can be a barrier to getting vaccinated.

“When our therapy dogs are on-site, a moment of joy with them goes a long way to soothe the nerves,” Ty Speer, CEO St. John Ambulance BC/Yukon, said. “We’re glad that Nova can provide this support to anyone who may be nervous about getting their vaccine this Thursday and our whole team is excited to provide support to B.C.’s vaccine efforts.”

Trypanophobia, a fear of needles, was classified as a disorder in 1994. For those who fear needles, vaccinations can be a frightening medical procedure.

Those with vaccine-related nervousness are asked to let staff know about their anxiety. Staff can take extra efforts to ease their nerves, including putting them in a comfortable position. People with a history of fainting can have a shot administered while they are lying down.

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More advice on how to handle a fear of needles can be found at the Immunize BC website.

B.C. health officials say they are ramping up efforts over the next two weeks to vaccinate as many people as possible.

The Vax For BC campaign will see mass vaccination clinics scale down to make way for smaller community-based clinics, drop-in centres and mobile vaccination clinics to meet people where they are.

Provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry said the province estimates only about five  per cent of people are staunchly opposed to COVID-19 vaccines.

The others, hopefully, can be reached by answering their questions about the vaccines and making it as easy as possible to get vaccinated by bringing the shots to them, she said.

— With files from Richard Zussman and The Canadian Press