‘Get vaccinated,’ health official says as vaccination rates surge before Monday

VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) — A medical health officer in Metro Vancouver is encouraging people who still have concerns to reach out, as she says there’s no biological reason to fear the vaccine.

Dr. Meena Dawar, who is the medical health officer for Richmond, says she understands some people are nervous, but people need to be vaccinated.

“For herd immunity, the majority of people need to be immunized … we’re seeing such high rates of COVID vaccine acceptance that we’ve never seen with any other vaccination program,” she said.

She admits some people still resisting are simply afraid of needles.

“People have come forward. They’ve shared that with us and we work with them to find an environment that works for them,” she said. “Sometimes, and certainly in our mass clinics, we can take them aside to a more private corner, give them their space and time and we usually have really good results.”

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As of Friday, nearly 7.6 million doses of a COVID-19 vaccine have been delivered, while 78 per cent of eligible people across B.C. are now fully immunized.

“The virus isn’t going away, but what we need to do to get our lives back is to get immunized,” Dawar said.

She notes that proof of vaccination requirements, like the B.C. Vaccine Card that will be rolled out Monday, are helping.

Starting Sept. 13, people will be required to show they’ve had at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine to access some non-essential businesses and settings. By Oct. 24, people will need to be fully vaccinated to go to places like the movies or restaurants.

“We absolutely have seen an increase in people coming forward for their first dose, or getting a timely second dose, and that just speaks to the fact people were busy, vaccination was not a priority for them,” she said. “They had other greater priorities in their lives and now they’re making time for vaccinations. So, I think it’s all working really well.”

Dawar says that for many people, fitting in a time to get themselves to a vaccination clinic made it difficult.

“Many people are working two jobs to make a living, particularly in this time. We just have to get a vaccine close to them at a time that works for them and that seems to have been working really well and improving the rates.

“I’m very proud of people coming forward, rolling up their sleeves. I would just keep encouraging people who still have questions to keep asking them and be open to the answers,” she said.

‘I really regret not talking about it before with them’

Meanwhile, a Kamloops man from Tl’azt’en Nation says he wishes he spent more time convincing the rest of his large family to get vaccinated.

Tyrone Joseph says his sister is now in an induced coma and her son, who’s only 30 years old, are both in the ICU at a Vancouver hospital.

“And I really regret not talking about it before with them. My siblings and their kids, they’re all adults, but I don’t think they’re given appropriate support or information,” he says, adding “it definitely different with Aboriginal people. Not only are we distrustful, but we also believe we won’t get the same level of care.”

Joseph says they’re not the only relatives who have trust issues with medical authorities.

“We believe we’re treated the same, regardless of what happens out there; regardless of the Delta [variant], regardless of maybe a new government. Whatever it is how much of that can you take before you just kind of give in or give up? You can only bang your head against a wall for so long before you decide to quit,” he said.

Joseph says he’s been told his sister is expected to recover and so will her 30-year-old son, but he’s been given steroid treatment to help him breathe.

“She’s not intubated, but she’s in an induced coma to moderate her breathing to make sure she’s not struggling,” he said. “I know that there’s really nothing I can do by travelling from Kamloops to Vancouver and finding somewhere to stay because I don’t want to stay with her family because her husband and son have COVID and they’re at home.”

Joseph adds his 28-year-old son recently got his first dose, but most of his nieces and other nephews are not immunized. He says he’s speaking out because he hopes more Indigenous people, especially those in their 20s, get immunized.