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Canadian man punches nurse multiple times who administered COVID vaccine to his wife

A Canadian man punched and knocked a nurse to the ground after she administered the COVID-19 vaccine to his wife without his permission, police said.

On Monday in Sherbrooke, a city in southern Quebec, the man walked into the pharmacy and accused the nurse who vaccinating his wife. Sherbrooke Police spokesman Martin Carrier told USA TODAY the man was "extremely irate."

"He asked the nurse why she vaccinated his wife without approval, without his consent and then started punching her in the face multiple times. The nurse didn't even have time to speak up for herself before he started punching her," Carrier said.

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After attacking the nurse, the man quickly ran out of the pharmacy, Carrier said. The police are currently searching for the suspect but do not have a photo or name. He said the suspect was described as a 30-45 year-old-man with short brown hair, two small ear piercings and a tattoo on his hand of a cross.

The nurse was quickly taken to the hospital and treated for her face injuries, Carrier said. He added Canadian law does not require spouses' permission to get vaccinated.

As of September 11, 68.72% of Canada's population have been fully vaccinated, according to the Public Health Agency of Canada.

However anti-vaccine and mask protests have lingered in the Quebec, prompting action from the government and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

Quebec's National Assembly unanimously passed a new bill that prohibits anti-vaccine protesters from demonstrating near schools, daycares, hospitals, as well as COVID-19 testing and vaccine sites, according to Canadian outlet CTV News.

"We must protect Quebecers, and we still do so today. Thank you to the oppositions for their collaboration," Public safety minister Geneviève Guilbault tweeted.

The Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna COVID-19 vaccines is 94% effective against COVID-19 hospitalization among fully vaccinated adults and 64% effective among partially vaccinated adults, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The Johnson & Johnson vaccine was 66.3% effective in clinical trials at preventing COVID-19 infection in people who received the vaccine, according to the CDC.

"Canadians know that the way to get through this pandemic is for everyone to get vaccinated. That is about protecting our young people. It's about protecting Canadians. We are absolutely unequivocal on that because this is how we get through this pandemic," Prime minister Justin Trudeau said during his recent campaign trail.

Follow Gabriela Miranda on Twitter: @itsgabbymiranda

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 'Extremely irate' man punches nurse who gave his wife COVID vaccine