Oldest known person in Scarborough, 110-year-old Dora Skeen received her first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine
CARBOROUGH (March 18, 2021) – Yesterday, Dora Skeen, who recently turned 110-years-old, got her 1st dose of the COVID-19 Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine. The result of a coordinated effort between MPP Mitzie Hunter and the Scarborough Health Network, Ms. Skeen, the oldest known person living in Scarborough, was able to receive the vaccination in her home.
Born on December 29th, 1910 in St. Elizabeth, Jamaica, Dora immigrated to Canada in 1980. She worked as a nanny until age 80 and has always lived in Scarborough. She had 8 children (6 still living), 20 grandchildren, 21 great-grandchildren and 5 great-great-grandchildren.
When asked how she felt about receiving the vaccine, Dora shared, “I want to be able to visit with my family, and to one day be able to talk to them without a mask.”
Still living independently, Dora has succeeded in keeping herself safe throughout the COVID pandemic by following the guidelines prescribed by Toronto Public Health: social distancing, washing her hands, wearing a mask, and staying isolated as much as possible from others.
With MPP Mitzie Hunter and Scarborough Centre for Healthy Communities Personal Support Worker Joy London attending, the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine was administered by a mobile team from the Scarborough Health Network. Asked how she felt after receiving the vaccine, Dora smiled and said, “I feel very good!”.