Canadian police: Man assaulted nurse for vaccinating his wife

Authorities in Quebec are searching for a man who allegedly punched a nurse for giving his wife a coronavirus vaccine without his consent, Reuters reported. 

Police spokesman Martin Carrier told the outlet the man approached the nurse Monday morning at a pharmacy near the city of Sherbrooke — 96 miles southeast of Montreal — where the suspect “went directly into the office and began to yell at the nurse.”

Carrier told Reuters the man was surprised his wife received a shot “without his authorization” and allegedly hit the nurse in the face. It was not apparent whether the man was skeptical of vaccines or if his wife received her shot at the same pharmacy, Carrier continued. 

Anti-vaccination protests, some targeting schools, intensified in the weeks leading up to Canada’s federal election on Monday, when Prime Minister Justin Trudeau kept his office but his Liberal Party again failed to win a majority in parliament. 

More than 69 percent of the eligible population in Canada is fully vaccinated, while over 75 percent have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine. 

Quebec Premier François Legault said Wednesday he plans to introduce legislation to bar anti-vaccination protests outside of places like schools and hospitals, saying he was out of patience. 

“I think it’s important to leave our children and patients in peace,” he told reporters in Quebec City, according to the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC). “It doesn’t make sense that [people] are trying to intimidate our children.”

Legault is reportedly hopeful the bill will be adopted as soon as Thursday.