The Mayor of Steinbach received the first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine on Wednesday and he is now encouraging others to do the same.

Earl Funk says he was excited to get the vaccine right here in his hometown. He notes in talking with the professionals running Steinbach's supersite, it sounds like things are rolling along nicely.

“I think they're feeling it is very successful. They have already ramped up to 420 injections per day which is really exciting. They were originally supposed to go Sunday to Wednesday and now they opened up seven days a week and they are already at their max for the day, 420. That means 2,900 people are getting immunized every week. That is really exciting for our area, for our region, I think this is going to help us in the battle against this virus.”

As of Wednesday afternoon, 41.5% of eligible Steinbach residents had received at least their first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. That trails province which is sitting at 62.8% and even communities like Morden which is at 51.1%

With that said, it must be noted, Steinbach’s supersite only opened up on May 18th whereas Morden’s supersite opened on March 22nd and Winnipeg’s was the first to open. One of the reasons Steinbach is lagging behind may be down to later access.

Funk says the whole vaccination process was very smooth and having your paperwork in order ahead of time speeds things up even further.

“To help things move along and be smooth like that, go to the COVID website and download the consent forms and have them all filled out. It was under a minute of processing time because I was prepared. Everything set and done and I think that really helped speed up the process and makes it easier on the healthcare workers that are here.”

With a more normal life in sight, Funk encourages Steinbach residents to book an appointment, get vaccinated, and help end this terrible pandemic.

“How nice would it be on a day like this, no masks, no restrictions, be with family, be with friends, this is our end goal right? Our end goal is to be with friends and family.”

A provincial spokesperson at the Steinbach supersite reminds people who are coming for their vaccine to park in the Arena parking lot rather than the SCU parking lot.

Until now, only the Pfizer vaccine has been administered in the Steinach Supersite, however, there are a few Moderna days coming up.