As hundreds in Nelson were demonstrating against the provincial governmentsa国际传媒檚 plan for vaccine passports, an impossible choice was being made.
Taryn Osa国际传媒橤enski, a registered nurse in the emergency room at Castlegar and District Community Health Centre, was working when a woman arrived in need of what Osa国际传媒橤enski says was advanced breathing support.
The centre is a relatively small facility and has no intensive care unit. The two isolation rooms it has were occupied by patients diagnosed with COVID-19, one of whom was a 51-year-old man who wasnsa国际传媒檛 vaccinated.
The woman, Osa国际传媒橤enski said, had to be sent to Trailsa国际传媒檚 Kootenay Boundary Regional Hospital (KBRH).
She later died there.
Osa国际传媒橤enski thinks the woman may have been saved if the hospital had the resources being used by COVID patients.
In a pandemic that has now gone on 17 months with no end in sight, this is now a regular dilemma in B.C. hospitals.
sa国际传媒淭he reality is that these are the choices that wesa国际传媒檙e having to make, and Isa国际传媒檓 much more inclined to be helping someone whosa国际传媒檚 vaccinated, with breast cancer, and going through chemotherapy than a 51-year-old whosa国际传媒檚 like, sa国际传媒榃hy does it matter if I got vaccinated?sa国际传媒� sa国际传媒�
After the Sept. 1 protests that were held throughout B.C. and advertised as being in support of health care workers, the Nelson Star interviewed 10 doctors and nurses working in Nelson, Castlegar and Trail. Every one of them reacted to the demonstrations with anger, frustration and disappointment.
Dr. Mike Van Vliet, who works in the emergency room at KBRH, and previously spent five years in the ER at Nelsonsa国际传媒檚 Kootenay Lake Hospital (KLH), described the protests as sa国际传媒渁 kick in the teeth.
sa国际传媒淲esa国际传媒檝e been working so hard, and then to see people out there [protesting] without masks, and continuing to say that this is a hoax and a joke and isnsa国际传媒檛 real sa国际传媒� Isa国际传媒檓 a bit embarrassed by it.sa国际传媒�
A Castlegar native, Van Vliet comes from a family of local physicians. His father was a doctor for 35 years. His sister works as a radiologist, and another as a nurse practitioner. His mother is a retired nursing instructor at Selkirk College.
Daily, hesa国际传媒檚 disappointed in patients who havensa国际传媒檛 taken the pandemic seriously or are yet to be vaccinated.
sa国际传媒淲e are making hard decisions right now on who can safely go home, who needs to be admitted, who needs to go to ICU, who needs to be put on a ventilator, and then, when we are full, where we need to send them sa国际传媒� Kelowna, Penticton, Cranbrook, or another site that is not at capacity.
sa国际传媒淚t is making my difficult job as an ER physician a lot harder, and my empathy is running out for the patients who are not vaccinated.sa国际传媒�
The West Kootenay went mostly untouched by COVID-19 throughout 2020, but an outbreak in the provincesa国际传媒檚 Interior has seen new cases skyrocket in 2021.
The Nelson health area, which includes nearby Salmo and parts of the Slocan Valley, has had 454 cases since July 25, according to the BC Centre for Disease Control. Cases are also surging in Castlegar, Trail, Creston and Grand Forks.
On Aug. 23, the provincial government announced at least one dose of vaccine will be required for people visiting restaurants, movies and ticketed sports events as of Sept. 13. Those restrictions change to two doses on Oct. 24.
Dr. Dharma McBride, a Nelson family physician and vice-chair of Kootenay Boundary Division of Family Practice, supports the right to protest, but also believes the government is out of options.
sa国际传媒淚 really donsa国际传媒檛 know how as a society wesa国际传媒檙e going to get through this pandemic unless we reach COVID immunity via vaccination, and if this helps move the needle a little bit, maybe itsa国际传媒檒l be seen as a success. I think wesa国际传媒檙e going to have a lot of soul-searching in terms of how we got to that place.sa国际传媒�
Castlegarsa国际传媒檚 Dr. Megan Taylor calls the protests sa国际传媒渇arcical.sa国际传媒� She supports the passport, which she believes will push more British Columbians to get vaccinated. Theresa国际传媒檚 evidence to show shesa国际传媒檚 right sa国际传媒� the number of first doses rose by 90 per cent in the week after the passport was announced.
sa国际传媒淚 honestly feel a little bit sad that people are motivated to get a vaccine to go to a restaurant, and not to protect the health of themselves and those around them. But if thatsa国际传媒檚 what it takes, great.sa国际传媒�
Nelsonsa国际传媒檚 Dr. Lauren Galbraith said she was disheartened by the protests, but relieved they didnsa国际传媒檛 occur outside local hospitals. In Kelowna, scenes of a crowd outside the hospital there, blocking the path of an ambulance, went viral.
sa国际传媒淚tsa国际传媒檚 tough when peoplesa国际传媒檚 decisions are affecting other peoplesa国际传媒檚 health. This small group of individuals, for whatever reason, cansa国际传媒檛 seem to wrap their head around.sa国际传媒�
A sore point for the doctors and nurses interviewed focuses on the people claiming they were supporting health care workers while also refusing to wear masks, get vaccinated, or follow a public health mandate.
A registered nurse at KLH, Cam Butler was disappointed to be lumped in with a cause he does not support.
sa国际传媒淲e live in a country where we have freedom of speech and choice, and all those things, and protesting for what you believe in, objectively, is great and I support that.
sa国际传媒淚t just comes at a challenging time when wesa国际传媒檝e been working against this pandemic for a year and a half sa国际传媒� and we all just want it to be over. I feel this is kind of like a step in the wrong direction.sa国际传媒�
For Dusty Portz, a registered nurse in Castlegar, being vaccinated is a key element to working in public health.
sa国际传媒淚 know the huge majority of people really actually do care and are doing the right thing. This is just a small minority of outspoken people who for some reason think theysa国际传媒檙e warriors for humanity, when really theysa国际传媒檙e just putting us backwards.sa国际传媒�
Other doctors and nurses interviewed expressed outrage that some colleagues, who they did not name, were at the demonstration.
Ty Wright, a registered nurse in Castlegar, said those health care workers did not speak for the majority of nurses.
sa国际传媒淚tsa国际传媒檚 shocking to me that theresa国际传媒檚 so many people who are just caught in this loop of protecting their rights and freedoms when itsa国际传媒檚 not even really a restriction of the rights and freedoms in the grand scheme of things.sa国际传媒�
But not everyone has lost hope.
Lisa Keech, a registered nurse in Trail, is critical of the protests and any health care workers who took part, especially as there is now ample evidence to show the seriousness of the pandemic.
sa国际传媒淚 cansa国际传媒檛 believe that our communities are going to be divided. People are going to see that their lives really arensa国际传媒檛 going to be that impacted sa国际传媒� and most people are doing the right thing.sa国际传媒�
CORRECTION: The original version of this story stated Taryn Osa国际传媒橤enski worked at Nelsonsa国际传媒檚 Kootenay Lake Hospital. Osa国际传媒橤enski actually works in Castlegar.
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| tyler.harper@nelsonstar.com
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