Friday July 26, 2024 | VICTORIA, BC
by Mary P Brooke, B.Sc. | Island Social Trends
Just in time for the BC provincial election this fall, today Provincial Health Officer Dr Bonnie Henry has lifted the COVID public health emergency.
That includes dropping mandate for healthcare workers to be COVID-vaccinated.
“The PHO made the decision to rescind the public health emergency based on a number of data sources,” it was stated in a news release this morning, after the press conference held at the BC Legislative Press Theatre in Victoria, led by Health Minister Adrian Dix and Provincial Health Officer Dr Bonnie Henry.
BC Conservatives against mandatory vaccination:
As the election campaign has ramped up, the BC Conservatives were pushing hard against BC NDP about the mandate which they say has reduced the number of available health-care workers).
New immunization registry:
With a new immunization registry, all health-care workers will still be required to declare their vaccination status (for COVID-19 and influenza) but COVID vaccination will not be a condition of employment.
Health-care workers will be required to report whether they have been vaccinated or have previously contracted these infections: measles, mumps, rubella, hepatitis B, whooping cough (pertussis), and chicken pox (varicella).
Over four years of pandemic:
The COVID public health emergency was first declared on March 18, 2020 in BC.
Vaccination became available in December 2020 and BC began its province-wide immunization rollout in January 2021.
Full news release:
Read the full July 26 news release: COVID-19 public health emergency ends, new vaccine registry will keep people safe
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