Use ‘compassion’ when talking about COVID-19 vaccinations this Thanksgiving

VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) — With Thanksgiving on Monday, many families are gathering for their first holiday since the pandemic began.

But as health officials are urging people to keep events small and to remain cautious when interacting with guests, psychiatrist Dr. Shimi Kang knows how tough it can be to tell a loved one they can’t come to an event because they’re unvaccinated.

She says the best way you can phrase it is by using compassion.

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“You want to start with a positive and say, ‘I would really love to see you, I hope you’re doing well. However, this year we are abiding to the public health guideline of vaccinated people only, so this is how we’re going to be doing our Thanksgiving.’ And then ended with something positive, ‘I hope you have a wonderful long weekend, but maybe we could try again next year.'”

Earlier this week, Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry urged people to keep their gatherings small and to ensure those you are spending time with are vaccinated.

Kang says when telling someone you’re not comfortable with having unvaccinated people at your event, try to keep it as positive and unjudgemental as possible.

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“Not imposing your belief system, but also making sure that you feel safe from a COVID standpoint. It is definitely a juggling act, but that’s my recommendation because this is a time where in fact we want to come together not further isolate.”

Kang says this can be a tough topic for families who have different ideas about the vaccine.

“I think as we go deeper into the pandemic, and the issues of vaccines and vaccine passports, it will become more of a potential divisive issue. And just like we see politics, these are things that some families choose to say, ‘look we’re gonna leave them at the door.'”

Meanwhile, new federal modelling released Friday shows transmission levels are starting to drop nationally, and numbers could continue to decline in the weeks ahead. However, the data also notes rates are still very high in some regions of Canada.