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Employers at industrial sites in Northern B.C. should ‘absolutely’ mandate vaccines: Henry

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FORT ST. JOHN (NEWS 1130) — B.C.’s top doctor says vaccines should be mandatory at large industrial work sites in the North, and has written to employers advising them to make this policy.

Dr. Bonnie Henry said Tuesday that she “absolutely” supports requiring proof of immunization for employees on projects like the Site C Dam near Fort St. John.

“I have written a letter to all of the employers in the large industrial camps, particularly in the North, saying that it is my very strong recommendation that they make it a requirement — particularly of living in the communal living settings that they have in the industrial camps,” she said, adding she’d like to see higher vaccination rates.

“It’s not high enough, and that is contributing to some of the surges that we’re seeing in communities. It’s also contributing to challenges in workers becoming sick, particularly in the congregate living settings that they’re in.”

Site C is responding to the second on-site outbreak so far this year.

According to an update from Northern Health Tuesday, there are 21 active cases associated with the current outbreak. Twenty-two people are in isolation at the work camp, while another 30 are isolating at home. Since January, 2021 there have been 242 cases among workers.

Asked about the outbreak, Health Minister Adrian Dix described the situation as “stable.” When the outbreak was first declared on Aug. 18 there were 32 cases and 110 people in isolation.

A spokesperson for BC Hydro says the majority of the cases are among the unvaccinated, and the Crown Corporation is considering changing its policy on vaccines.

“Like other public sector organizations, BC Hydro has been closely examining the issue of mandatory vaccines. We will be announcing next steps in the coming days,” they write in an email.

Industrial sites required to report workers’ vaccination status

In August, a memo from the Chief Medical Officer of Northern Health outlined the provincial health order requiring employers to report the vaccine status of workers at industrial camps.

“Industry must be vigilant in establishing and maintaining effective barriers to prevent within worksite and community transmission. High immunization rates among your workforce is a critically important protective factor for the health of the total population,” Dr. Jong Kim wrote.

On Sept. 7, Kim sent another letter.

“As a result of the ongoing difficulty in containing the transmission of COVID-19 at the BC Hydro Site C project and to ensure clarity for all parties involved, I now direct you to collect and direct workers to provide information on vaccine status … as soon as possible.”

RELATED: ‘Disgusting, dangerous:’ Northern B.C. MLA slams anti-vaccine letter purporting to be from his office

According to BC Hydro, there were 5,087 people working on the project in August.

On Tuesday, Dix said less than half — about 2,000 workers — have reported their vaccination status so far. Of those, 83 per cent are fully immunized, seven per cent have received one shot, five per cent are unvaccinated, and five per cent chose not to report their status.

“We’re encouraging everyone in B.C. to get vaccinated and encouraging our leaders in B.C. in whatever part of the business sector, public or private, to encourage these efforts as well,” he said.

Of the employees who are residents of B.C., 1,050 live in the Peace River Regional District. That area has some of the lowest vaccination rates in the province. As of Sept. 28, 51 per cent of those eligible in Peace River South had received both shots. In Peace River North, it was 54 per cent. Province-wide, 80.6 per cent of those eligible were fully vaccinated at that time.

Last month, increased restrictions were announced in the Northern Health region to try to contain the spread, and ease some of the strain on a healthcare system struggling to respond to the surge in hospitalizations and ICU patients.

With files from Marcella Bernardo

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