Northern B.C. mayors frustrated, disappointed with low COVID-19 vaccination rates

DAWSON CREEK (NEWS 1130) —  As new COVID-19 restrictions come into effect for parts of Northern B.C., mayors in communities with some of the lowest vaccination rates describe some of the struggles they are having as cases and hospitalizations continue to rise.

On Thursday, Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry announced “circuit breaker” measures for parts of the Northern Health region, including limits on gathering for people who aren’t fully immunized, the closure of bars and nightclubs, and an end to in-person religious services.

“We can prevent those people who are not yet protected through vaccination from getting seriously ill. We can take that pressure off our health care system. These measures are to stop transmission and to save lives,” Henry said, later confirming 58 people needing critical care have had to be flown to hospitals outside the region.

Henry also said, particularly in communities in the north, unvaccinated teens, people in their 20s, 30s and 40s are ending up in the ICU.

In Dawson Creek, 56 per cent of those eligible have received both vaccine doses, far below the provincial average of 83 per cent.

Mayor Dale Bumstead notes the average age in that city is around 37, and there is a “core group” of younger people who are fiercely anti-vaccine.

“They have a lack of trust in media. They lack trust of all levels of government, the federal government, the provincial government — me locally,” he says.

“They just don’t believe that the information that they’re getting is in any way accurate, they don’t believe it. As a result of that, they’re not willing to take the vaccination.”

RELATED: Northern B.C. MLA says vaccine misinformation fuelled by Alberta

Bumstead says the situation in the North and in his community has been incredibly stressful.

“The people that are getting sick and losing their lives as a result of COVID are friends and family and neighbours. That hurts a community and hurts me. It’s a worrisome time,” he says.

“It’s difficult. I’ve really been struggling with it honestly, personally over the last couple of weeks. It impacts your community in such a negative way and impacts the reputation of your community. I take that very seriously, and I take it personally. It’s been difficult a time.”

The new restrictions come as no surprise to Bumstead, who notes that public health officials have been bringing in region-specific orders in places where the healthcare system is being strained. But he worries about how and whether the rules will be enforced.

“I think that’s been a frustration certainly. We’ve seen it with some restaurants and some businesses where they’re trying to adhere to the public health orders and others flagrantly disobey them and then there is no enforcement. Certainly, we at the municipality don’t have the capacity to enforce.”

89 percent of those in critical care today due to COVID-19 were not fully vaccinated.
See the full breakdown by age: pic.twitter.com/176zeLBjdD

— Adrian Dix (@adriandix) October 15, 2021

In Chetwynd, just 52 per cent of people are fully immunized.

The town’s mayor Allen Courtereille is frustrated by this low number.

“I am disappointed in what’s going on in the in the North and in my community,” he says.

“The numbers speak for themselves and for the people that are unvaccinated, they should talk to their doctor, talk to people that have had this virus go through their body and have come out the other end, surviving it. They should be the ones that they get the true story from.”

RELATED: Unvaccinated in B.C.? Your chance of dying is 53 times higher

Courtereille, like Bumstead, says he was expecting the new restrictions but is still wondering whether any support with enforcement is coming.

“We don’t have enough people to enforce this I don’t believe the government has totally covered that issue with us up in the North.”

The restrictions will remain in place until at least Nov. 19. Terrace, Kitimat, Stikine, Telegraph, Snow Country, Prince Rupert, Haida Gwaii, and Nisga’a areas are exempt from the new rules.

“Those are areas where we have seen this virus not being able to spread because of those high rates of vaccination and people taking the precautions that we’ve asked,” Henry said.