N.L. mayor says vaccine opposition dividing families as province reports nine cases
The mayor of a small western Newfoundland community is hoping the province's vaccine passport will improve lagging inoculation rates in his region.
Danny Conway is the mayor of St. George's, a town of roughly 1,200 people about 90 kilometres south of Corner Brook.
St. George's sits in the Bay St. George area, which has one of the lowest rates of vaccination against COVID-19 in the province. Online data shows about 75 per cent of eligible residents are fully vaccinated, compared with 84 per cent for the entire province.
Conway said he believes that's at least partly tied to anti-vaccination sentiments imported from Western Canada, where a lot of rotational workers from the community are employed.
"And it seems like they do bring that thinking back here," Conway said in an interview Wednesday, adding they influence their families and friends, and post all kinds of misinformation online.
Conway and his wife are both fully vaccinated and they've turned down afternoons on the local trails with unvaccinated family members who refuse to get a shot, he said. "It's separating families," he added.
Newfoundland and Labrador health officials reported nine new cases of COVID-19 Wednesday, for a total of 46 active reported infections in the province. Dr. Rosann Seviour, acting chief medical officer of health, noted there are still roughly 76,000 eligible residents who are not yet fully immunized. The group represents about 16 per cent of Newfoundlanders and Labradorians aged 12 and over.
"One of our greatest challenges right now is those who are eligible for a vaccine but have not yet been vaccinated," she told reporters Wednesday.
Last month, an outbreak ripped through the central Newfoundland town of Botwood and its neighbouring communities, ultimately involving 56 infections and at least four deaths. The province has logged 15 deaths since the onset of the pandemic, and eight have occurred within the past month.
Since late February, 83 per cent of the province's cases have involved people who weren't fully vaccinated and almost 91 per cent of COVID-19 patients who were hospitalized or died were not fully vaccinated, Seviour said.
"When we do see breakthrough cases with hospitalization or death, it is in those most at risk, such as the elderly or those who have other compromising health conditions," she said.
Conway said there were six or seven cases of COVID-19 in his community as of Sunday, and not even the arrival of the virus has changed the minds of vaccine-hesitant residents. He said he doesn't know what more public health officials could do to convince them to get a shot.
"Social media is playing just such a big role in this pandemic," he said. "You would have to have 300 full-time staff on just to be countering the nonsense that's put on Facebook and Twitter and what have you."
"It's an uphill battle for public health and for everyone," he added.
The province's vaccine passport, which uses an app called NLVaxPass, becomes mandatory on Friday. Conway hopes people who believe anti-vaccination misinformation will choose to get their shots rather than be turned away from restaurants or churches.
"We're going 100 per cent behind the VaxPass," Conway said. "Wherever we can use it, we're going to use it."
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 20, 2021.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
DEVELOPING Person on fire outside Trump's hush money trial rushed away on a stretcher
A person who was on fire in a park outside the New York courthouse where Donald Trump’s hush money trial is taking place has been rushed away on a stretcher.
Mandisa, Grammy award-winning 'American Idol' alum, dead at 47
Soulful gospel artist Mandisa, a Grammy-winning singer who got her start as a contestant on 'American Idol' in 2006, has died, according to a statement on her verified social media. She was 47.
She set out to find a husband in a year. Then she matched with a guy on a dating app on the other side of the world
Scottish comedian Samantha Hannah was working on a comedy show about finding a husband when Toby Hunter came into her life. What happened next surprised them both.
Senators reject field trip to African Lion Safari amid elephant bill study
The Senate legal affairs committee has rejected a motion calling for members to take a $50,000 field trip to the African Lion Safari in southern Ontario to see the zoo's elephant exhibit.
'It could be catastrophic': Woman says natural supplement contained hidden painkiller drug
A Manitoba woman thought she found a miracle natural supplement, but said a hidden ingredient wreaked havoc on her health.
Police in Paris detain a man wearing fake explosives vest at Iran's Consulate
A man wearing a fake explosive vest and making threats was detained Friday outside the Iranian Consulate in Paris after police locked down the area, authorities said. His motive was unclear.
DEVELOPING G7 warns of new sanctions against Iran as world reacts to apparent Israeli drone attack
Group of Seven foreign ministers warned of new sanctions against Iran on Friday for its drone and missile attack on Israel, and urged both sides to avoid an escalation of the conflict.
CFIA monitoring for avian flu in Canadian dairy cattle after U.S. discoveries
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency is encouraging veterinarians to keep an eye out for signs of avian influenza in dairy cattle following recent discoveries of cases of the disease in U.S. cow herds.
After hearing thousands of last words, this hospital chaplain has advice for the living
Hospital chaplain J.S. Park opens up about death, grief and hearing thousands of last words, and shares his advice for the living.