As hundreds in Nelson were demonstrating against the provincial government鈥檚 plan for vaccine passports, an impossible choice was being made.

Taryn O鈥橤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 O鈥橤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 wasn鈥檛 vaccinated.

The woman, O鈥橤enski said, had to be sent to Trail鈥檚 Kootenay Boundary Regional Hospital (KBRH).

She later died there.

O鈥橤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.

鈥淭he reality is that these are the choices that we鈥檙e having to make, and I鈥檓 much more inclined to be helping someone who鈥檚 vaccinated, with breast cancer, and going through chemotherapy than a 51-year-old who鈥檚 like, 鈥榃hy does it matter if I got vaccinated?鈥� 鈥�

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 Nelson鈥檚 Kootenay Lake Hospital (KLH), described the protests as 鈥渁 kick in the teeth.

鈥淲e鈥檝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 isn鈥檛 real 鈥� I鈥檓 a bit embarrassed by it.鈥�

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, he鈥檚 disappointed in patients who haven鈥檛 taken the pandemic seriously or are yet to be vaccinated.

鈥淲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 鈥� Kelowna, Penticton, Cranbrook, or another site that is not at capacity.

鈥淚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.鈥�

The West Kootenay went mostly untouched by COVID-19 throughout 2020, but an outbreak in the province鈥檚 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.

鈥淚 really don鈥檛 know how as a society we鈥檙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 it鈥檒l be seen as a success. I think we鈥檙e going to have a lot of soul-searching in terms of how we got to that place.鈥�

Castlegar鈥檚 Dr. Megan Taylor calls the protests 鈥渇arcical.鈥� She supports the passport, which she believes will push more British Columbians to get vaccinated. There鈥檚 evidence to show she鈥檚 right 鈥� the number of first doses rose by 90 per cent in the week after the passport was announced.

鈥淚 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 that鈥檚 what it takes, great.鈥�

Nelson鈥檚 Dr. Lauren Galbraith said she was disheartened by the protests, but relieved they didn鈥檛 occur outside local hospitals. In Kelowna, scenes of a crowd outside the hospital there, blocking the path of an ambulance, went viral.

鈥淚t鈥檚 tough when people鈥檚 decisions are affecting other people鈥檚 health. This small group of individuals, for whatever reason, can鈥檛 seem to wrap their head around.鈥�

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.

鈥淲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.

鈥淚t just comes at a challenging time when we鈥檝e been working against this pandemic for a year and a half 鈥� and we all just want it to be over. I feel this is kind of like a step in the wrong direction.鈥�

For Dusty Portz, a registered nurse in Castlegar, being vaccinated is a key element to working in public health.

鈥淚 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 they鈥檙e warriors for humanity, when really they鈥檙e just putting us backwards.鈥�

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.

鈥淚t鈥檚 shocking to me that there鈥檚 so many people who are just caught in this loop of protecting their rights and freedoms when it鈥檚 not even really a restriction of the rights and freedoms in the grand scheme of things.鈥�

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.

鈥淚 can鈥檛 believe that our communities are going to be divided. People are going to see that their lives really aren鈥檛 going to be that impacted 鈥� and most people are doing the right thing.鈥�

CORRECTION: The original version of this story stated Taryn O鈥橤enski worked at Nelson鈥檚 Kootenay Lake Hospital. O鈥橤enski actually works in Castlegar.

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| tyler.harper@nelsonstar.com
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