'Food for our souls': COVID data cruncher treats Fredericton vaccination clinic staff to lunch
Ray Harris says analyzing data gave him a deep appreciation for vaccine clinic workers
For the past six months, Ray Harris has been tracking health-care workers' efforts to get New Brunswickers vaccinated.
Last Thursday, the Fredericton data analyst showed some of them how much those efforts are appreciated — by treating all 68 staff members at the Brookside Mall vaccine clinic to lunch.
So many more deserve the same treatment, he said.
"A lot of people have really had more pressure put on them due to the pandemic, and there are a lot more people out there that deserve to have something nice done for them."
Harris said he's been tracking statistics on COVID-19 cases and vaccinations since the start of the pandemic, but in the past six months, he's been doing so "religiously."
For that reason, he's keenly tuned in to the vaccine data and how much work goes into it, he said.
"I feel really connected with the vaccine data ... with how crucial that is to everything we're doing here and the hours [clinic workers] are putting in," said Harris, who shares COVID data info-graphics publicly on social media.
"There are people that have come out of retirement. There are people that have shifted jobs a little bit, that have changed their roles, that are working more hours than they want to work just to push us over the line."
Harris said when he heard the Brookside clinic's human resources director was hoping to get local businesses and residents to provide a lunch for the staff, he jumped at the opportunity.
He immediately put an order in with The Happy Baker for 70 sub sandwiches, salads, drinks and desserts.
Maggie McDonald is one of the workers who got treated to a free lunch.
A former Horizon Health Network phlebotomist who came out of retirement in May to help with the vaccination efforts, McDonald said it was about 1:30 p.m. when the delivery arrived.
"There were fruit skewers — and they were fresh and tasty — and water or juice and cookies. And ... I can't tell you how many there was of everything," she said.
"It was incredible. It took up the entire staff room."
Harris didn't deliver the food personally, and when interviewed, McDonald said she didn't know who it was who made the generous offering.
"You have no idea what you've done," said McDonald, when asked what she'd say to Harris.
"I mean, to you, it's maybe just a thank-you lunch, but to us, it was so much more than food for our bellies. It was food for our souls."