'Complacency, convenience, conspiracy': Rural Albertans overrepresented in hospitals
Although COVID-19 cases are slightly declining in Alberta, two doctors who treat patients from rural areas say a fifth wave may be inevitable if people in those communities do not get vaccinated at a faster pace.
Provincial data says 78.3 per cent of eligible Albertans overall, including those who are 12 and older, are fully vaccinated and 86.4 per cent have had at least one shot.
But in at least 19 out of 63 municipalities in northern and southern Alberta, on average, 55 per cent of residents have rolled up their sleeves for just one dose. In some of those areas, that rate is less than 40 per cent.
Dr. Raman Kumar, a family doctor at Maxwell Medical in Fort McMurray, Alta., says the rural population is overrepresented in overwhelmed intensive care units “simply because of the fact that there has been more vaccine hesitancy” among them.
“For example, here in Fort McMurray, we've had significant issues with our intensive care units being full of patients and we transport our patients to other communities,” said Kumar.
“We had seven nurses come from Newfoundland (to Fort McMurray during the fourth wave), so COVID definitely has been a major, major problem for rural communities.”
In High Level, one of the most northern municipalities in Alberta, 23 per cent of residents have had at least their first dose of vaccine. The number is 39 per cent in the County of Forty Mile in the south and 40 per cent in Two Hills County in east-central Alberta.
On average, 55 per cent of Albertans living in Manning, Peace River, Fairview, Spirit River, St. Paul, and Lethbridge have had their first dose.
“If we don't achieve higher vaccination rates in some areas, we'll be at risk of a fifth wave and sixth wave because of the ongoing transmission,” said Dr. Finola Hackett, a rural family health physician working in Pincher Creek.
“As we've seen with the fourth wave, a low vaccination rate did not protect from COVID and the Delta variants, so there's a higher risk for sure in some rural areas.”
Hackett and Kumar say three main factors contribute to the low vaccine intake in rural communities.
“I call them the three Cs,” said Hackett.
“There is complacency, convenience, and then the third one being conspiracy.”
Hackett said complacency can be seen in some Albertans “who are especially younger” in rural communities who have told her they don't want to get a shot because they believe they are healthy. She said she tells them that the vaccine not only protects them from the virus, but also reduces the risk of transmission to others with compromised immunity.
Convenience is a matter of accessibility.
“The government and other partners send mobile clinics to some rural areas so that helped ... but there's still pockets of those who might have issues with (transportation).”
The third C and most common reason why rural Albertans are not getting vaccinated is the “pandemic of misinformation,” Hackett said.
“Sometimes ... a small, tight-knit community is sharing misinformation that spreads fast,” she said. “Certain rural areas, that tend to be more conservative, are more distrustful of any government program.”
Hackett and Kumar said they have met several patients in rural Alberta, sometimes multiple times, and have persuaded them to get vaccinated.
“I just don't think that acting on frustration or polarization gets us anywhere, as hard as it is finding that patience and energy to understand empathetically why someone is vaccine hesitant,” said Hackett.
The doctors said they are helping to launch a new campaign in rural Alberta througha national multidisciplinary coalition called 19 to Zero that is working toshift public perceptions around COVID-19 behaviours and build confidence in vaccines.
The campaign called “It's Never Too Late” includes a video shot in an Alberta hospital. It shows a person breathing heavily while being assessed and admitted into intensive care to be intubated.
“I just want to tell Albertans, that heck, get the vaccine,” Kumar said.
“Let's get back to normal life, and the way we can do that is by all of us getting our shot.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 26, 2021.
This story was produced with the financial assistance of the Facebook and Canadian Press News Fellowship.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Widow looking for answers after Quebec man dies in Texas Ironman competition
The widow of a Quebec man who died competing in an Ironman competition is looking for answers.
Tom Mulcair: Park littered with trash after 'pilot project' is perfect symbol of Trudeau governance
Former NDP leader Tom Mulcair says that what's happening now in a trash-littered federal park in Quebec is a perfect metaphor for how the Trudeau government runs things.
World seeing near breakdown of international law amid wars in Gaza and Ukraine, Amnesty says
The world is seeing a near breakdown of international law amid flagrant rule-breaking in Gaza and Ukraine, multiplying armed conflicts, the rise of authoritarianism and huge rights violations in Sudan, Ethiopia and Myanmar, Amnesty International warned Wednesday as it published its annual report.
Photographer alleges he was forced to watch Megan Thee Stallion have sex and was unfairly fired
A photographer who worked for Megan Thee Stallion said in a lawsuit filed Tuesday that he was forced to watch her have sex, was unfairly fired soon after and was abused as her employee.
Amid concerns over 'collateral damage' Trudeau, Freeland defend capital gains tax change
Facing pushback from physicians and businesspeople over the coming increase to the capital gains inclusion rate, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his deputy Chrystia Freeland are standing by their plan to target Canada's highest earners.
U.S. Senate passes bill forcing TikTok's parent company to sell or face ban, sends to Biden for signature
The Senate passed legislation Tuesday that would force TikTok's China-based parent company to sell the social media platform under the threat of a ban, a contentious move by U.S. lawmakers that's expected to face legal challenges.
Wildfire southwest of Peace River spurs evacuation order
People living near a wildfire burning about 15 kilometres southwest of Peace River are being told to evacuate their homes.
U.S. Senate overwhelmingly passes aid for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan with big bipartisan vote
The U.S. Senate has passed US$95 billion in war aid to Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan, sending the legislation to President Joe Biden after months of delays and contentious debate over how involved the United States should be in foreign wars.
'My stomach dropped': Winnipeg man speaks out after being criminally harassed following single online date
A Winnipeg man said a single date gone wrong led to years of criminal harassment, false arrests, stress and depression.