CW: cancer, surgery, medical negligence, denial of care, disability grief
As part of DoNoHarm BCâs #Postcards4PublicHealth campaign, weâve invited British Columbians to share their stories about the lack of Covid safety in BC – particularly the loss of mask protections in healthcare. Many wrote directly to policy makers. Some generously gave us permission to share their stories with the public and the press.
Comments closedâItâs now obvious weâve started a COVID surge with a new variant, right when flu and RSV [respiratory syncytial virus] are about to hit. Our healthcare system is on its knees. We have the tools, and we need to use them. Not restoring mask protections to healthcare would be criminal.â
Comments closedOn Monday, August 28th at 12:00 pm, British Columbians will gather outside the MLA office of Health Minister Adrian Dix to demand the restoration of universal masking in healthcare settings, alongside other key safety measures like clean air. Echoing guidance from the WHO and calls from BCâs Human Rights Commissioner (and doctors and researchers worldwide), healthcare workers, patients and caregivers will tell their stories, and demand measures to protect the most vulnerable.
Comments closedLawsuit filed by former family doctor Daniel Nagase ruled to be frivoulous, vexatious and an abuse of process.
Comments closedComments closedI do feel like we are in a worse position (than last winter) because of the complacency of people. I think the pandemic has been downplayed this whole past year. And not enough has been explained to people about the long-term harm from previous COVID infections.
For the first time in months, weekly wastewater data released by the B.C. Centre for Disease Control shows increasing concentrations of COVID-19 at most monitored treatment plants around the province.
Comments closedProtect Our Province is asking for HEPA filters, mask mandates, and fast-tracked COVID vaccinations.
Comments closedComments closedCurrently in B.C., we have no mask protections in schools, no proof of indoor air quality in schools including monitoring of carbon dioxide levels during full class occupancy, no [high-efficiency particulate air] filtration units available in most classrooms, almost non-existent [nucleic acid] testing, and only the occasional provincial public health report (and those reports we do see are of limited value).
With students returning to B.C. classrooms in four weeks, an open letter to the province is outlining five things the signatories say must be addressed to ensure âa safe return to school.â
Comments closedA British Columbia judge has sentenced a Vancouver Island woman to 18 months of probation for deliberately coughing in the face of a grocery store employee and shoving her shopping cart into another worker during the earliest days of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Comments closedHealth-care workers are warning a lack of masking could lead to a new COVID wave come fall.
Comments closedComments closedAll COVID-19 patients (including vaccinated adults and children) are potentially at risk of long-term health damage or death, though some groups are disproportionately affected. These risks multiply with each reinfection.
Comments closedGetting rid of masking means I canât safely get the care I need. I need regular follow-up care, and because Iâm immunocompromised, getting Covid in hospital is a massive risk⌠Right now, one of my greatest health risks is accessing medical care.
B.C.âs human rights commissioner is criticizing provincial health officials for ending mask mandates in health-care settings, saying it puts the most vulnerable and marginalized people at risk.
Comments closedPeople who are COVID-aware or at high risk discuss the mental health burden of staying safe.
Comments closedYou cannot claim you care about equity, accessibility, or disabled people if you arenât helping to create safe spaces for everyone â this includes the basic practice of masking.
Comments closedKeeping B.C. schools open without better COVID-19 protections is a recipe for disaster, a coalition of advocates says.
Comments closedA class complaint has been filed at the B.C. Human Rights Tribunal against a regional health-care authority over their policy prohibiting hospital patients and visitors from using N95 respirators.
The complaint was filed by Vancouver resident Lena Patsa on Wednesday against Fraser Health, the provinceâs largest health-care authority by population.
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