Frustration grows on B.C.’s frontlines as unvaccinated fill COVID-19 wards

VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) – Just two days after mass protests were held outside some hospitals across B.C. and Canada, there’s growing resentment from doctors and nurses on the frontlines as they care for unvaccinated people who are infected with COVID-19.

This comes as B.C. introduces more restrictions in the Northern Health region, which has the lowest vaccination rate in the province.

It has seen a six-fold increase in the rate of infection in the last 10 days, leading to a spike in hospitalizations in the Intensive Care Unit. Ninety per cent of people currently in hospital because of the coronavirus in the region are unvaccinated.

Dr. Henry blames 6X increase rate of transmission on pockets of “very low immunization” in Fort St. James, Nechako, Vanderhoof and Prince George.

New measures include limits on social gatherings in your home and no more than 50 people outside your home. #bcpoli @NEWS1130

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Doctors and nurses treating these people are getting increasingly frustrated, saying they’re exhausted and want some relief from this pandemic, 18 months into it.

“One of the thing we know for sure is that unvaccinated patients are driving this pandemic. The majority of hospitalizations and ICU admissions are persons who choose not to get vaccinated,” explained Dr. Alika Lafontaine, president-elect of the Canadian Medical Association.

He says that’s leading to frustration among health care workers, because “a lot of this care is preventable if people just get vaccinated and follow public health guidelines.

B.C. doctor Steven Fedder says those who choose not to get vaccinated are showing the ultimate selfishness and are too arrogant to realize everyone has to make sacrifices for the good of society.

“It’s exhausting. These are often sick people and it’s challenging when you have somebody come in who you knew there was a simple route to preventing what they’ve come in with — a COVID infection. Our job is to be professional and to not be judgmental. But, you know, it’s very trying,” he explained.

So far, 84.6 per cent of eligible people 12 and up in B.C. have received one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine. To date, 77.9 per cent of people have received two.

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• Heartbreaking stories from the frontline: B.C. health care workers brought to tears by COVID protesters

• Majority of 801 new COVID-19 cases in Fraser Health; Interior Health records six deaths

• Restrictions coming for Northern Health region over explosion of COVID-19 cases

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There had been hopes that rising vaccinations would provide some reprieve to health care workers. However, that has not been the case due to the number of unvaccinated patients showing up at hospitals and landing in ICUs.

Lafontaine says despite the frustrations, health care workers will always be there to help those in need — regardless of vaccination status.

“But the stresses on the system can be mitigated if people make better choices,” he explained.

With B.C.’s COVID-19 vaccine card system set to be introduced on Sept. 13, thousands of people took to the streets on Wednesday in B.C. and across Canada to protest mandates.

In addition to new measures, there were also people who were speaking out against mandated vaccines. It should be noted that COVID-19 vaccines are not mandatory in B.C. or anywhere else in Canada.

The protests prompted outrage from those in the health care sector as well as the public, with many saying the demonstrations were disrespectful to those on the frontlines.

Some say the protests brought health care workers to tears, and even impacted the care of patients.

Lafontaine says despite the frustrations, health care workers will always be there to help those in need — regardless of vaccination status.

“But the stresses on the system can be mitigated if people make better choices,” he explained.

these kinds of protests drive the narrative that the pandemic is “being push on people.”

“In reality, the health care system is just reacting to what’s occurring and the stressful situation that’s there for everyone. It compounds the risk of unvaccinated people to not only not get vaccinated but also to be aggressive when it comes to health care workers advocating for vaccination and public health guidelines to prevent you from coming into hospital,” he told NEWS 1130.

“At the end of the day, health care workers will continue to be here for you, regardless of whether or not we ourselves are frustrated.”