Doctor Henry, Minister Dix with a message for the North: "Now is the time surely, now is the time to get vaccinated"

Much of today's noon hour COVID update from Doctor Bonnie Henry and Health Minister Adrian Dix had a focus on the situation in the Northern Health region.

Both officials making note of the current accelerated pace of COVID infection in some areas of the Health Authority and how it continues to make for challenging for health providers in the North. 

The current wave one that is sending more and more, Northerners to Southern hospitals, something that brings a bit of domino impact on hospital services in those host communities. 

In an appeal to residents of the North, the Minister outlined the current state of the transfers of patients to points south as the virus continues to circulate, with the vast majority of those patient transfers those who have yet to be fully vaccinated for COVID-19

"I wanted to start today by speaking about the situation in the Northern Health Authority and just to put it in context. Over the course of the pandemic different areas of the province have been affected by the pandemic  differently and we have all supported each other we've all been all in throughout the pandemic and that continues to be the case. 

The situation in Northern Health Authority is extremely serious at the moment. 

I just want to lay it out with one set of facts:  We have now transferred critical care patients,  55 critical care patients have been transferred from Northern Health to Hospitals on Vancouver Island, in the Fraser Health Authority and Vancouver Coastal Health. 

Of those 55, 43 are  positive for COVID-19, 42 are not fully vaccinated. 42 not fully vaccinated people transferred in critical care. 

Over the Thanksgiving weekend yesterday Monday, Thanksgiving Monday 4 people were transferred         from Northern Health to either Vancouver Island for Metro Vancouver, On Sunday 1, on Saturday 5, on Friday 4, that's fourteen people transferred.

The Health Minister provided some further background on the status of Northern Health, paying tribute to the Epic work of the staff at UHNBC in Prince George and the ongoing stress that the situation has put on health care, as well as to note of the additional flights that have been added on to transport patients to care in the south.

He then turned to those in the North yet to be vaccinated and outlined the frustrations being felt across the health system at the level of vaccine acceptance in the region.

"The people I want to speak to today, are people who today are walking in communities in the north.   Because the people in critical care right now we're just going to provide them with the best care in the world, support their families and do whatever it takes, to help them and help them get well from this vicious nasty virus.

But,  for those people walking around unvaccinated, who might be in those critical care beds in two or three weeks. I say to them now is the time surely, now is the time to get vaccinated. With the whole health care system all in and in support. Now is the time to get vaccinated" -- Health Minister Adrian Dix

The Health Minister followed up his emotional appeal to those who remain unvaccinated with a list of the clinics currently available for them to get vaccinated across Northern British Columbia.

The list of those vaccination clinics can be reviewed here.

Mr. Dix also laid out in direct terms the vaccine mandate that the province has put in place, particularly in the health Sector and Seniors facilities, and what faces those workers that choose not to be vaccinated.

Other notes from the media session involved questions on vaccine cards and the opening of more activities for British Columbias as the program moves forward.

The issue of weekend troubles on emergency ambulance dispatching made for some questions as to how the province was addressing the situation.

How much frustration health officials are finding from the slowing pace of vaccination and how the message to get vaccinated continues to fall on deaf ears was a theme that continues to dominate the hour long session as well.

On the pace of the virus and its rate of infection, Doctor Henry noted of the current status of the virus and the invasive nature of the Delta strain that is having the largest impact on the province and the importance of vaccination towards the ongoing response.

"It's going to get harder, before it gets easier. We know that we have influenza coming, we know that we are starting to see other respiratory viruses cause illness and when people come together, that is what's going to happen. The strain that we're seeing which  is almost all Delta virus across this province, it spreads rapidly when it finds a toehold when people are not protected through vaccination"

Doctor Henry also made note of the varying levels of infection in the North, with stronger vaccination rates found in the Northwest; making note of Prince Rupert in particular on that theme, as opposed to other areas where the rates of vaccination are much lower.

"We're seeing right now that the North is a challenge,  it's not universal across the North. There are some communities in the Northwest, Haida Gwaii for example, Prince Rupert where vaccination rates are really high and we're not seeing that type of transmission. But there's other communities where things are not going as well" -- Doctor Bonnie Henry

The approaching fall flu season also received some attention as part of the session, with Doctor Henry noting of the importance this year to get the flu shot to reduce transmission.

The Full information session can be reviewed below:

 

 More notes related to the ongoing response to the COVID virus can be explored from our archive page here.