Calls for end to mandate

Re. Randy Szasz’s letter Firing nurses was right (Castanet, Nov. 15)

Randy Szasz insists that firing nurses was correct.

He states, "They should lose their jobs". Many did. And many quit or took early retirement, with those numbers not being included in the mandate termination numbers.

The (given) number of B.C. healthcare staff affected by (vaccine) mandates did not include those who resigned or took early retirement to avoid this affront to personal health sovereignty. From conversations with informed staff, those numbers were skewed towards high performance, experienced and senior people within each part of their operation, whether management or front line. Great people were cast aside, without an option to even remain “on the books”. What a waste of talent.

The terminated amount is around 1% of all healthcare workers. The “quit” or “retired early” factor could reasonably double this. Would we take a 2% increase in our health care workforce capacity right now? Medical professionals should now be consulted regarding their opinion. We should not leave this decision to upper leadership, who seem myopic and polarized by the extreme political aspect of Covid rules and public “coercion.” People have been granted powers and sometimes, power corrupts. It certainly seems to have corrupted rational thought processes.

Fast forward to November 2023. The rest of the world has now moved on and B.C. remains a statistical and scientific outlier being one of the only jurisdictions in the entire world where Covid vaccine mandates are in effect. Why are our neighbours in Alberta having this as a non-event scenario right now, whereas B.C. is dragging it out as if it was a “perma-demic?” Explain "the science".

(Provincial health officer) Dr. Bonnie Henry was recently pushing for more booster uptakes, stating immunity is waning. If immunity is waning, why is the vaccine mandate still in effect? If immunity is waning, why would a new mandate requiring three more boosters not be implemented? Dare I say, it would be because there would be so much resistance from health care workers.

Meanwhile, the healthcare system further collapses and front-line service is simply not present in some of our smaller outlying communities. Small city mayors in B.C. have demanded an end to vaccine mandates, but it falls on deaf ears within the hallowed halls of power.

In many growing cities, newcomers cannot get access to a family GP, and walk-in clinics are overburdened. This is not solely a health care resource issue, but also a quality of life and economic factor.

It is now long past time for an independent public inquiry into this deliberate destruction and dismantling of the B.C. health care system. It is now irredeemably destroyed by (Health Minister Adrian) Dix, Henry, (former premier John) Horgan and co.

It is an insult to the taxpaying public that two of the aforementioned still hold public office.

Ricky Daytona, West Kelowna