B.C. remains reluctant to introduce COVID-19 vaccine passport

Posted August 5, 2021 1:52 pm.

Last Updated August 5, 2021 3:51 pm.

VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) – Despite plans in Quebec to introduce a COVID-19 vaccine passport, B.C.’s health minister remains reluctant to do the same.

Quebec Premier Francois Legault has said his province will introduce a vaccine passport system to prevent a fourth wave, with details expected in the coming days.

“People who have made the effort to get their two doses should be able to live a somewhat normal life, having access to all activities, including non-essential ones,” Legault said in explaining the vaccine passport plan, which is expected to require proof of vaccination to enter places such as gyms and bars in Quebec, where COVID-19 transmission is high.

When asked Thursday whether there was any interest in B.C. to bring in such a program, Health Minister Adrian Dix said his focus is on getting more people vaccinated and easy access to their personal immunization records.

He did not directly support nor denounce the idea of barring people from certain activities if they are not vaccinated against COVID-19 and instead pointed to previous announcements that there will be strict rules when it comes to health care workers and COVID-19 immunizations.

“No, you are not obliged to get vaccinated in B.C. or anywhere else in Canada [but] there are consequences if you don’t, and I think everyone will have to understand that,” Dix said.

“It will be increasingly necessary in many in many workforces in many forms work, particularly in health care, to be able to demonstrate that you’re vaccinated because there will be consequences if you’re not,” he later added.

However, he didn’t close the door to the idea, saying “we are pursuing all options to address the transmission of COVID-19 and we’re looking at all those options.”

Delta variant confirmed among B.C. children

Cases across the province have been on the rise, with 402 recorded on Wednesday. That’s the highest figure we have seen in over two months. The highly contagious Delta variant has been a big concern and one of the reasons B.C. has been ramping up efforts to make it convenient for people to get vaccinated against the virus.

Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry says there have been cases of the Delta variant found in children under the age of 12. While she did not provide any statistics, she maintained there haven’t been “very many.”

“What we are not seeing is increased rates of transmission in young children and children under 12, in particular. We’ve not seen very many cases in that age group,” she said.

Henry cautions changes will have to be made if hospitalization numbers spike and focus remains on preventing deaths, severe illness and keeping people working/kids going to school.
She says models show what’s important and immunization makes a difference to manage cases. #bcpoli

— Marcella Bernardo (@MBernardoNews) August 5, 2021

The number of British Columbians hospitalized with COVID-19 and in the ICU have also been on the rise, standing at 58 and 21 on Thursday.

“We look at the Interior [where] all of the people who are ICU right now — and there are some younger people who have had quite severe disease — are unvaccinated,” Henry told NEWS 1130 on Wednesday.

Henry said despite the rising daily COVID-19 numbers, “we absolutely are on track” to enter stage 4 of B.C.’s reopening plans in early September.

“I’m confident that we’re going to be in a good place here in B.C.,” she said Wednesday, noting that could change if those who are vaccine hesitant remain that way.

According the province’s re-opening plans, Sept. 7 is the earliest date we could enter stage 4, where masks go from recommended to being a personal choice, we return to normal social contact, and concerts would be allowed again.

Walk-In Wednesday hailed a ‘success’

The province now stands at 81.7 per cent of eligible British Columbians having at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine and 68.4 per cent having two doses. But Henry warns we’re not out of the woods yet.

“This virus is not gone, and we’ve seen that with the increasing cases that we’ve seen in the last few weeks, particularly in the Central Okanagan, where we see that this virus can take off easily,” she said.

Dix says 33,277 shots were administered Wednesday, 16,505 of which were at one of more than 50 walk-in clinics that were set up for “Walk-In Wednesday.” Dix called it a “success,” noting 20,000 doses were set aside for the one-day event.

Of all the shots administered Wednesday, 6,130 were first doses.

“This represents, I think, the effort to assist people in walking in to get their shots and focusing on first doses,” Dix said, adding “16,505 of those were walk-ins, significantly more than we usually get.”

With files from Lucas Casaletto

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