Preparations are underway to protect lives for the coming respiratory virus season even as regional hospitals like Grand Forks’ grapple with emergency room closures.
Health Minister Adrian Dix and Dr. Bonnie Henry, provincial health officer, rolled out the province’s strategy on Thursday for tackling COVID, influenza and RSV cases that are expected to rise with the coming winter months.
To help protect the medical system, Dr. Henry announced medical masks will be required by all health-care workers, volunteers, contractors and visitors in patient care areas starting Oct. 3.
Long-term care visitors will be also be required to wear a medical mask when they are in common areas of the home and when participating in indoor events, gatherings, activities in communal areas of the care home or residence.
People acting as facility ambassadors will be at entrances to support screening for symptoms of respiratory illnesses, hand out medical masks, and ensure people clean their hands before entering.
The best protections for people and medical staff is prevention, Dr. Henry said, which means vaccines and utilizing hygiene practices. Doses are scheduled to arrive in the province in early October. Seniors 65 and older, residents in long-term care facilities, Indigenous peoples, pregnant people and those with chronic health conditions (e.g., cancer, HIV, hepatitis C, diabetes) and health-care workers will be given priority. Invitations for all other B.C. residents will be sent by Oct. 10. In addition, people will be able to get the COVID and flu vaccine at the same time.
Vaccines will also available in many participating pharmacies, health-authority clinics, and some primary-care providers’ offices throughout the province. They are free of charge and everyone six months and older, Dr. Henry said.
“We are starting to see increasing respiratory virus infections in B.C., including COVID-19, and now is the time to remember the healthy habits we can all do to protect ourselves, our loved ones and our communities,” said Dr. Henry. “That includes covering your cough, cleaning your hands regularly, staying away from others if you have a cough or a fever, wearing masks if you have lingering symptoms or need extra protection and getting the updated COVID-19 and influenza vaccines. By getting immunized for both COVID-19 and influenza, we are not only protecting ourselves, but also those around us.”
Besides masking and vaccines, another major component is ensuring hospitals are equipped with enough beds and staff to tackle expected increases in admissions. However, several hospitals under Interior Health, including the Okanagan, Boundary and Kootenay region have been experiencing rotating emergency room closures, which Dix said is primarily due to lack of staff.
This is being addressed for both the short-term coming season and longer-term as the province, health authorities and municipalities have been working to increase beds, locums and recruit more long-term staff.
They are tackling this problem through action, he said.
“Fundamentally, we had to do, especially in rural health, ensure we had enough doctors and nurses and practitioners,” he said. “Secondly, we had to listen to our communities. Working with Oliver and Grand Forks, we are working to have what we call maximum response. We know how difficult it is when an emergency room closes. Thirdly, Grand Forks has access to every incentive program we have in the province to ensure that we both build up our doctor and nurse capacity in communities.”
Speaking specifically to Boundary Regional, Dix said he met directly with Mayor Everett Baker during the annual UBCM convention in September to address the emergency room closure that occurred the weekend of Aug. 20 and ongoing staffing issues that led to it. Not all of the issues have been addressed, he said, but they are working closely with city staff and the municipality to reach the goal of no emergency room closures ever again.
On a broader scale, Dix explained the province created a network of doctors and nurses to support communities when there aren’t enough medical professionals available in the area to keep hospitals running at full capacity. This is a change to address the current shortage, Dix said.
This includes recruiting 4,100 more nurses this year, and more internationally-trained doctors are coming to the province and allied health networks are linking to get more people access to medical assistance.
“What we are seeing is networks working together like never before,” said Dix. “We do not want to see any emergency rooms close.”
A source at the Boundary Regional Hospital pointed to Bill 36 as a factor in why it’s been so difficult to recruit and retain staff. They stated the bill stifles medical staff’s ability to report issues and could even lead to those speaking out to being censured, dismissed and even charged. A request for a statement from the Minister of Health was received on Thursday and communications staff said they would have a response from the Ministry shortly.
To help protect the medical system, Dr. Henry announced medical masks will be required by all health-care workers, volunteers, contractors and visitors in patient care areas starting Oct. 3.
Long-term care visitors will be also be required to wear a medical mask when they are in common areas of the home and when participating in indoor events, gatherings, activities in communal areas of the care home or residence.
Ambassadors will be at facility entrances to support screening for symptoms of respiratory illnesses, hand out medical masks, and ensure people clean their hands before entering.
The best protections for people and medical staff is prevention, which means vaccines and utilizing hygiene practices. Doses are scheduled to arrive in the province in early October. Seniors 65 and older, residents in long-term care facilities, Indigenous peoples, pregnant people and those with chronic health conditions (e.g., cancer, HIV, hepatitis C, diabetes) and health-care workers will be given priority. Invitations for all other B.C. residents will be sent by Oct. 10. In addition, people will be able to get the COVID and flu vaccine at the same time.
Vaccines will also available in many participating pharmacies, health-authority clinics, and some primary-care providers’ offices throughout the province. They are free of charge and everyone six months and older, Dr. Henry said.
“We are starting to see increasing respiratory virus infections in B.C., including COVID-19, and now is the time to remember the healthy habits we can all do to protect ourselves, our loved ones and our communities,” said Dr. Henry. “That includes covering your cough, cleaning your hands regularly, staying away from others if you have a cough or a fever, wearing masks if you have lingering symptoms or need extra protection and getting the updated COVID-19 and influenza vaccines. By getting immunized for both COVID-19 and influenza, we are not only protecting ourselves, but also those around us.”