'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
How quietly promised law changes in the 2024 federal budget could impact your day-to-day life
The 2024 federal budget released last week includes numerous big spending promises that have garnered headlines. But, tucked into the 416-page document are also series of smaller items, such as promising to amend the law regarding infant formula and to force banks to label government rebates, that you may have missed.
Which foods have the most plastics? You may be surprised
'How much plastic will you have for dinner, sir? And you, ma'am?' While that may seem like a line from a satirical skit on Saturday Night Live, research is showing it's much too close to reality.
opinion I've been a criminal attorney for decades. Here's what I think about the case against Trump
Joey Jackson, a criminal defence attorney and a legal analyst for CNN, outlines what he thinks about the criminal case against Donald Trump in the 'hush money trial.'
$3.8M home in B.C.'s Okanagan has steel shell for extra wildfire protection
A home in B.C.'s Okanagan that features a weathering steel shell designed to provide some protection against wildfires has been listed for sale at $3.8 million.
Diver pinned under water by an alligator figured he had choice. Lose his arm or lose his life
An alligator attacked a diver on April 15 as he surfaced from his dive, nearly out of air. His tank emptied with the gator's jaws crushing the arm he put up in defence.
Psychologist becomes first person in Peru to die by euthanasia after fighting in court for years
A Peruvian psychologist who suffered from an incurable disease that weakened her muscles and had her confined to her bed for several years, died by euthanasia, her lawyer said Monday, becoming the first person in the country to obtain the right to die with medical assistance.
Mystery surrounds giant custom Canucks jerseys worn by Lions Gate Bridge statues
The giant stone statues guarding the Lions Gate Bridge have been dressed in custom Vancouver Canucks jerseys as the NHL playoffs get underway.
Celebrity designer sentenced to 18 months in prison for smuggling crocodile handbags
A leading fashion designer whose accessories were used by celebrities from Britney Spears to the cast of the 'Sex and the City' TV series was sentenced Monday to 18 months in prison after pleading guilty in Miami federal court on charges of smuggling crocodile handbags from her native Colombia.
Wildfire leads to evacuation order issued for northeast Alberta community
An evacuation order was issued on Monday afternoon for homes in the area of Cold Lake First Nation.