A new and popular television show is taking off in this province and its bare, almost spartan-like production values belie the fact that hundreds of people are behind its runaway success.
I am referring to the televised (and livestreamed) daily briefings on the COVID-19 crisis by Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry and Health Minister Adrian Dix.
What started out as an idea that would make an appearance from time to time has now become a six-days-a-week tour de force that is must-see viewing and listening for a public that unquestionably has an insatiable appetite for information related to the crisis.
The briefings occur in the legislature press theatre. When they began some weeks ago, they were jammed with reporters and staff (I usually sat in the front row because Dr. Henry is so soft-spoken it was difficult to hear her from my usual seat in the back row).
But now the press theatre is near empty. Social distancing rules mean reporters are on a phone line (usually from 60 to 100 each briefing). The only people in the room besides Dr. Henry and Dix are a moderator, a pool camera operator from one of the television stations, a government camera and a couple of technical people.
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Nevertheless, the work that takes place before these near-hour long briefings begin is impressive and enormous.
Public health officials and health authorities amass statistics from one day to the next that measure how many people have tested positive for the virus, how many are in hospital, how many are in intensive care, how many have recovered and other statistically relevant data.
Hospital staff are constantly preparing hospitals for a potential avalanche of COVID-19 victims descending upon them. At each briefing, Dix provides an update on how many beds have been vacated for a worst-case scenario playing out (so far, more than 4,000 acute care beds stand ready).
The testing that is going on is increasing literally every day. It has gone from less than 1,000 in one week to often more than 3,000 a day now. As of this writing, more than 45,000 tests for COVID-19 had been conducted in this province.
The overnight data is given to the B.C. Centre for Disease Control for analysis and by early afternoon most days Dr. Henry has in her hands the numbers (which are also shared with health-care stakeholders, such as unions). She usually arrives at Dix’s legislature office about an hour before the usual 3 p.m. briefing so the two of them can plan that day’s presentation.
When they first began, the briefings covered a wide range of issues. However, they are now more focused on the spread of the disease itself and the measures taken to contain it or to slow its spread.
Each briefing repeats, relentlessly, key messages: the dire need to physically distance yourself from other people, the need to constantly wash your hands and to stay home as much as possible.
How popular is this new show? About 200,000 to 250,000 people tune in when they are aired live on Global’s Noon newscasts (usually on Saturdays) alone. During the week, the daily live audience appears to be well in excess of 100,000 when all stations and livestreams are included (and excerpts are all over the nightly newscasts, which is another one million or so).
Every day my email inbox swells with 50 or so requests from folks to ask a question (I usually get to ask one of the 12 or so questions during each briefing, since I am a member the legislature press gallery) on their behalf.
Some of the emails reflect a genuine sense of worry, others are actually quite articulate and to the point.
All are complimentary to both Dr. Henry and Dix and seem to be evidence of a genuine thirst for knowledge on all aspects of this crisis that is gripping the entire world.
Now, I hope this new show does not run for much longer. When it disappears from the airwaves, it will be a sign we have finally flattened the curve, and our physical distancing will have paid off.
Keith Baldrey is chief political reporter for Global BC.
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