Why Sabrina Craig Is A Doris Anderson Award Recipient

More than 58 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine were administered in Canada by October. It’s no stretch to say that thousands of the people who got those shots were helped by Sabrina Craig and the rest of the volunteers at Vaccine Hunters Canada.

“It’s amazing what can be done when people work together,” says Craig, the director of the organization, which, via its social media feeds, helped anxious Canadians find vaccination appointments and sort through eligibility requirements for the shot.

Offline, Craig is an analyst at BMO Capital Markets who, prior to joining Vaccine Hunters, had some experience in outreach campaigns but very little in public health. Many of Craig’s family members are older, and some are immunocompromised. She knew the more people got vaccinated, the faster she’d get to see the people she loved.

In early April, Craig started sending tips about vaccination appointments at various pharmacies and hospitals to Vaccine Hunters Canada, using information she gleaned online. The organization was growing rapidly—thousands of Canadians were sending in tips. Craig formally joined the team, becoming one of the volunteers who sorted through the mass of information arriving daily.

Through Twitter, Craig and her volunteer colleagues blasted out frequent vaccine clinic details and updates to nearly a quarter-million followers. Soon the adulation rolled in from public health units, Canadian celebrities and even the prime minister. “It’s just about ‘let’s get through this together,’ ” said Justin Trudeau in a video meeting with the Vaccine Hunters team in May. “It’s really amazing.”

In late summer, after 80 percent of Canadians had received their first dose, Craig and the Vaccine Hunters team decided to shelve their Twitter account. But the work continues. The same team behind Vaccine Hunters has now created vaxinations.org, a site helping to further the global vaccination effort.

Now Craig gets to enjoy the fruits of her labour. “I have a lot of family,” she says. “It’s been so nice to reunite with them.”

Meet all of our 2021 Doris Anderson Award winners here.