With the Omicron variant of COVID-19 continuing to lead to very high levels of the disease in Alberta and across Canada, the debate over vaccinations has become more heated than ever before during the deadly pandemic.
In recent days the discussions over what should or shouldn’t be done to increase immunization rates in the general population that remains vulnerable to infection have involved both politicians and the medical community.
Hundreds of thousands of adult Albertans, and millions of other Canadians, continue to decline to be vaccinated and unvaccinated men and women infected with COVID now make up the majority of in tensive care unit (ICU) patients in hospitals in Alberta and elsewhere.
When news came out last week that the Quebec government is planning to financially penalize residents who refuse to be vaccinated, Premier Jason Kenney was quick to respond that the UCP government would not be following suit and that it has no plans to make vaccinations mandatory in Alberta.
At the same time the Canadian Medical Association (CMA) issued a call for governments to do more, much more, to increase vaccination rates in order to prevent the collapse of the health-care system.
Dr. Katharine Smart, CMA president, says many Canadians are now being denied needed care because the health-care system has become overburdened by COVID.
“We have gone back in time to overwhelmed hospitals, cancelled surgeries and testing,” said Smart. “We must now double down on using tools and experience to blunt the impact of Omicron and plan for future waves.
“There is a significant portion of the population that remains unprotected, putting them disproportionately at risk.”
While no one would be unhappy to see the COVID-19 pandemic wind down and end this spring, the rise of the Omicron variant means such hopes are little more than wishful thinking.
With the medical community saying vaccinations remain the best way out of the pandemic, the pressure on governments, including the UCP, to do more is sure to grow stronger in the days and weeks ahead.
Dan Singleton is an editor with the Albertan.
