Breaking news: @protect_bc and @cancovsoc are joining @DoNoHarmBC in our calls to keep and strengthen mask protections in BC healthcare Patients, healthcare workers, and health advocates are sharing stark accounts of healthcare hazards in some settings right now, which would only be compounded if mask rules were discarded. Read the joint press release now at DoNoHarmBC.ca/press, alongside accounts from people across the province.

Is there a reporter or outlet you think should be covering this story, and spotlighting the reality in BC healthcare? Be sure to let them know! Our press kit is available at https://bit.ly/press-kit-masks-25Mar25

Join us to demand that BC keep & strengthen mask protections in healthcare! Vulnerable patients and frontline workers need consistent, evidence-based safety measures year round - not policies that change with the weather.

Take action at https://donoharmbc.ca/masks-in-healthcare/ to call for year-round mask requirements, proper implementation, N95s, and closing key loopholes:

Send emails to dozens of policy-makers at once
Flood the lines with calls
Send faxes online (no fax machine needed)
Send #Postcards4PublicHealth (mail to MLAs and Ministers is free)
Share your story at https://bit.ly/have-your-say-masks2025 by Mar 15
Reshare and spread the word

Let's GET LOUD! Take action ASAP, by April 1st.

#KeepMasksInHealthcare #BCHealthcare
#CovidIsNotOver #H5N1 #BirdFlu #Measles
#VulnerabilityIsntSeasonal #COVIDisAirborne

Have thoughts on how BC can improve healthcare mask protections? (We certainly do.)

Share your statement today for our next campaign: https://bit.ly/have-your-say-masks2025

Submit by March 15 if possible, for the best media coverage potential (latecomers welcome). And stay tuned for more ways to take action!

[Image: blue and yellow graphic with a simplified version of post text, and the DoNoHarm BC logo in the corner with a QR code]

New hazard index from @MoriartyLab and COVID-19 Resources Canada: around 1 in 19 British Columbians have COVID-19 right now That means ~164,200-184,600 people infected THIS WEEK, as modelled using government data such as wastewater. (Methods and inputs are available at www.Covid19Resources.ca)

Compared to the lowest point of the pandemic so far in BC:

Infections are 28.9X higher
Long COVID 17.1X higher
Hospitalizations, ICU 24.8X higher
Deaths: 22.5X higher

Stay safe out there: ventilate, vaccinate, educate, mitigate And use our click-to-email tool on our https://donoharmbc.ca/vulnerability-isnt-seasonal/ to remind policy-makers that #VulnerabilityIsntSeasonal, and neither is COVID - so we need masks in healthcare ASAP!

Thank you to The Peak SFU for the shoutout! Check out the recent piece by staff writer Yasmin Hassan, laying out the reasons why B.C. should restore consistent healthcare mask protections ASAP: https://the-peak.ca/2024/05/masks-should-be-mandatory-in-healthcare/

And remember to send an email today to B.C. policymakers, calling to #KeepMasksInHealthcare! https://donoharmbc.ca/vulnerability-isnt-seasonal/

The latest hazard index from COVID-19 Resources Canada and @MoriartyLab: around 1 in 60 British Columbians have COVID-19 right now, with up to 94,700 people infected THIS WEEK.

Compared to the lowest point of the pandemic so far in BC:

Infections ~5.7X higher
Long COVID ~6.4X higher
Hospitalizations ~6.1X higher
Deaths ~1.6X higher

Stay safe out there: ventilate, vaccinate, educate, mitigate And remember to tell BC gov that we need to restore & strengthen mask protections in healthcare: https://donoharmbc.ca/vulnerability-isnt-seasonal/

Part of #VulnerabilityIsntSeasonal is about amplifying the voices of vulnerable British Columbians - the very people who’ve been ignored with the decision to drop mask protections in healthcare. Today we’re sharing this statement from EB Karel:

Content warning: cancer

“As a survivor of cancer, who may be ill again, it is terrifying to enter medical spaces. Please bring back masks in all healthcare facilities.”

Send an email today to tell policy-makers NO to removing healthcare mask protections: https://donoharmbc.ca/vulnerability-isnt-seasonal/ Then leave phone messages, send faxes, send postcards, repeat. COVID hasn’t gone away, and neither will we.

Today, @protect_bc, DoNoHarm BC and Masks4EastVan are joining forces to call on the B.C. government to restore mask requirements to healthcare.

On April 8, 2024, public health authorities abruptly removed the province-wide rule for healthcare masking - disregarding researcher recommendations, guidance from BC's Office of the Human Rights Commissioner, and over 18,000 pleas from vulnerable British Columbians. Public health officials claimed the move was due to the end of “respiratory illness season”, yet NACI states that “seasonality of SARS-CoV-2 has not been established.”

Read our full press statement here: https://donoharmbc.ca/bc-health-advocates-call-to-reinstate-healthcare-mask-requirements/ We’re calling on BC to ensure year-round protection from airborne pathogens in medical settings - and urging British Columbians to join us by adding your voices to our rebooted campaign, #VulnerabilityIsntSeasonal 2.0.

Last year, we pushed BC into restoring a partial healthcare mask requirement over the fall and winter. This year, we got them to commit to over $3 billion in COVID-19 health funding across three years. Now, our collective advocacy is more crucial than ever.

COVID hasn’t gone away, and neither will we - it’s time to get LOUD

ACT NOW: https://donoharmbc.ca/vulnerability-isnt-seasonal/

By popular demand – some questions to ask the PHSA! They may limit the number of questions from each person, so it helps to have multiple people asking (& it shows more people care).

Email board.office[at]phsa.ca by 4:30pm on April 15th (not 16th) - and if you get a written response, we’d love to see it!

QUESTION IDEAS:

BC gov says healthcare worker use of masks & respirators will now be based on "risk assessments". Can you please detail what frameworks or policies will be used to make those risk assessments?

Does PHSA or anyone you work with track trends in hospital-acquired illness, especially before and after changes in infection control policy?

Will COVID-positive patients be placed on airborne precautions, and if not, why not, given that WHO & federal government both confirm COVID is airborne?

What steps other than vaccination are you taking to reduce asymptomatic airborne illness transmission in your facilities?

Will healthcare workers wear masks or respirators upon patient request?

Will healthcare workers wear masks or respirators to meet disability accommodations requests, as can be done without undue hardship?

Please provide the scientific and ethical basis for removing required mask protections in cancer clinics.

Can you please clarify how PHSA's organizational values of Compassion and Equity align with the statement issued by BC's Human Rights Commissioner that "removal of universal masking directives in healthcare settings does not uphold a human rights centred approach to public health"?

Can you please respond to poll figures indicating that 85-91% of respondents would delay healthcare due to lack of COVID safety such as mask requirements?

Can you please provide your response to me in writing?

Have more ideas for questions? Comment below

Already filled out the BC NDP survey (link in bio)? You can also email the Provincial Health Services Authority (PHSA) about dropping mask requirements, ahead of their next board meeting. You can submit questions for that meeting til 4:30 PM on April 16 via Board.Office[at]phsa.ca - and of course, email them anytime!

Learn more: http://www.phsa.ca/about/leadership/board-of-directors/board-meetings#Presentations/Q&A

Oh hey, look. The BC NDP has a survey asking what British Columbians care about - including questions like, “what commitments do you want…on healthcare in your community?”

We have a few ideas Have your say at https://donoharmbc.ca/2024-my-bc/ - we’ve drafted some example answers you can use to speed things up! Hurry, because the survey closes Friday, April 19th.

Heavy news, folks. As of April 8, 2024, British Columbia has announced they're discarding existing mask requirements in hospitals and long-term care homes, apparently with immediate effect: https://news.gov.bc.ca/releases/2024HLTH0036-000506

This disregards both evidence-based practice and the calls of vulnerable people across BC, and we don't intend to let it go unaddressed. Please stay tuned for a fuller statement and plan of action - and in the meantime, if you have thoughts, here's a contact list for healthcare policy makers: https://donoharmbc.ca/contact-list/

As part of #VulnerabilityIsntSeasonal, we’re amplifying stories from just a few of the people who’d be impacted if BC discarded mask protections in healthcare.

Next up, from Katherine (she/her):
 
“My mother has had numerous medical appointments, hospital stays, and ER visits in the last 3 months. Each one is a risk for her and her caregivers (myself included) due to the ongoing pandemic. I am scared that the mask requirement in hospitals will be lifted this spring, putting her at further risk while she accesses care. It doesn’t have to be like this. We need to keep masks in healthcare year-round and improve access to high quality N95s.”
 
 Tell DOZENS of BC policy-makers that we need to #KeepMasksInHealthcare by email, phone, online fax & more: https://linktr.ee/donoharmbc

One of our asks for #VulnerabilityIsntSeasonal is to require privately-run medical settings to meet the same minimum mask coverage as public facilities. This account from Lisa Sherwood (she/her) shows why it’s important.

Content warnings: negligence, loss, denial of care

“I was denied healthcare for a second time in December 2023 because I asked a healthcare worker to put a mask on.

“At the time masks were required in hospitals but not in private practices. Related to the problems with my heart, it was found that I have a health problem which may be due to a previous COVID infection, and I needed a test at a private clinic.

“The technician was unmasked but said she would put a mask on each time I asked about it. When she had me in a small, enclosed space and was in close proximity to me, I became very concerned. I let her know that one of my loved ones had died from COVID and that two people I know have brain damage from COVID. She said, “That’s okay.” Shocked, I asked “What do you mean: That’s okay?” She responded “It’s okay to be afraid”. I again asked for her to don a mask. She said “I’m not ready”.

“Eventually after a number of minutes and having potentially filled the room with COVID aerosols she put a mask on. I explained the potential ramifications of her actions. She said “You can’t prove I gave you COVID” and then laughed at me.

“I asked her to do the test quickly. She became angry and refused to perform the test at all. I have a referral to have the test done in a hospital but the result will be months of delay.

“This is why BC needs mask requirements for all healthcare settings, including private practices.“

Tell DOZENS of BC policy-makers that we need to #KeepMasksInHealthcare and improve protections: https://donoharmbc.ca/vulnerability-isnt-seasonal/

Thank you friends! So far, you have sent 16,626 emails telling BC policymakers #VulnerabilityIsntSeasonal & demanding they #KeepMasksInHealthcare! And we're not done! You can CALL, FAX, & MAIL to keep up the pressure! Each only takes a few minutes: https://donoharmbc.ca/vulnerability-isnt-seasonal/

We’re continuing our #VulnerabilityIsntSeasonal campaign, to keep up the pressure ahead of B.C. gov’s promised COVID update in early April!

As part of this campaign, we’re amplifying stories from just a few of the people who’d be impacted if BC discarded mask protections in healthcare - and whose lives are already being affected by a lack of appropriate safety measures.

Next up, from Cara (she/her):

Content warning: tumour, surgery, medical negligence

“I’m elderly with multiple risks (brain tumour, diabetes, high blood pressure, asthma). Have not had an “annual” doctors appointment for four years. Phone appointments only, as my GP will not wear a mask. Had a long fight with an MRI tech who insisted I remove my (metal-free) mask for a brain MRI – I have annual MRIs so this is an ongoing stress. I’ve been to the dentist once in four years because they don’t clean air, open windows, or wear proper masks. I wore an N95 post-craniotomy in neuro ICU, while staff wore floppy blue procedure masks. Why am I more diligent about protecting myself than care providers are? I discharged myself 2.5 days after surgery because of the risks.”

Tell DOZENS of BC policy-makers that we need to #KeepMasksInHealthcare: https://donoharmbc.ca/vulnerability-isnt-seasonal/

FYI, #Covid19BC update coming early April https://www.cbc.ca/news/health/spring-covid-vaccine-1.7156121?mibextid=K35XfP

Last fall, BC gov announced their healthcare mask changes as part of their vaccination briefing.

While we aimed for the bulk of #VulnerabilityIsntSeasonal messages to be sent by April, we’re extending the campaign, to keep the pressure up ahead of this update from B.C. gov: https://donoharmbc.ca/vulnerability-isnt-seasonal/

If you haven’t already, please add your voice! If you’ve already done so, please spread the word

As part of #VulnerabilityIsntSeasonal, we’re amplifying stories from just a few of the people who’d be impacted if BC discarded mask protections in healthcare - and whose lives have already been changed by a lack of safety measures.

Next up, from R. (they/them):

“I got Covid because someone knowingly came to work while infectious – something that healthcare workers in BC are now allowed to do as well. It was my first Covid infection, and I never got better. I’m now severely disabled and bedbound.

“We need masks in all healthcare settings as an absolute bare minimum, including for patients. Without mask requirements, neither me nor my partner can safely get medical care, and going to the doctor, hospital or for blood work is a risk to my life.”

Tell DOZENS of BC policy-makers that we need to #KeepMasksInHealthcare: https://donoharmbc.ca/vulnerability-isnt-seasonal/

One of our asks for #VulnerabilityIsntSeasonal is to require privately-run medical settings like medical labs to meet the same minimum mask coverage as public facilities. This account from Red (he/they) shows why it’s important.

Content warning for healthcare-acquired infection

“I don’t want to get Covid in BC healthcare – not again. The first time it happened, I got infected at LifeLabs over the summer (well after the winter “respiratory season”). That Covid infection seriously worsened my chronic medical conditions, to the point where I no longer feel safe getting my regular bloodwork. All healthcare settings – whether in a private lab, public hospital, or doctor’s office – should protect both patients and workers from the risk of infection. Healthcare workers should be using respirators widely year-round to properly protect against airborne diseases!”

Tell DOZENS of BC policy-makers that we need to #KeepMasksInHealthcare and strengthen protections: https://donoharmbc.ca/vulnerability-isnt-seasonal/

As part of #VulnerabilityIsntSeasonal, we’re amplifying stories from just a few of the people who would be impacted by the loss of masks in healthcare - and who’ve already been impacted by a lack of sufficient protections.

Next up, from Tracy Connor (she, her, hers):

Content warning: sudden loss, negligence

“My aunt was healthy and active for her age, but one day she suddenly collapsed and died. The coroner said it was “natural causes”. Family requested an autopsy, but were discouraged from having one. At no time was a PCR test offered or given.

“My aunt’s husband (my uncle) wound up testing positive for COVID. Others who had been in contact were infected, including persons at high risk. We then learned that staff from my aunt and uncle’s caregiving service had tested positive for COVID-19. One of them had been in my aunt’s house prior to her death.

“When I went to the house with flowers I saw that a healthcare worker in the house wasn’t masked at all. In my opinion, it is possible that my uncle was still contagious.

“Anyone acting as a professional caregiver, or an employee of health authorities in BC, should be required to wear an N95 mask when entering people’s homes.”

Tell DOZENS of BC policy-makers that we need to #KeepMasksInHealthcare and strengthen protections: https://donoharmbc.ca/vulnerability-isnt-seasonal/