Coronavirus: Okanagan MLA Ben Stewart critical of B.C.’s vaccine rollout

Okanagan’s Ben Stewart, MLA of Kelowna-West, is not happy with the current state of B.C.’s vaccine rollout plan.

He said the current pace of vaccinations in the province is not moving fast enough.

“The idea that vaccines are sitting on the table and not being used in a timely manner is not acceptable,” Stewart told Global News on Thursday.

“They announced this morning, 5,000 vaccinations in the last 24 hours. And the government hopes to have 150,000 done at the end of the month? (For that to happen) We need to be doing double time.”

Stewart said he expected the government to be more prepared for the rollout, much like a military operation. So far, however, Stewart says the communication and execution in the current plan is lacking.

“The bottom line is communication has been at the high level of government and not at the lowest, where the health workers and the people are at. The first thing the government needs to do is improve communication,” said Stewart.

The Okanagan MLA said he’s been contacted by health workers from long-term care homes in West Kelowna, who have some concerns.

“Lots of (health workers) have been calling me wondering, ‘When are we supposed to be getting it?’” said Stewart.

“We have an outbreak right across the street. Lots of the workers there are questioning the whole situation, saying, ‘Why is that we don’t know when it is we are supposed to be getting it?’”

1:45 Prime Minister Trudeau frustrated by slow COVID-19 vaccine rollout

Provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry spoke on Thursday about B.C.’s vaccines.

Dr. Henry said the number of people that have been vaccinated so far is a direct result of the amount of vaccine B.C. has received along with the way the vaccines need to be transported.

“We weren’t at first able to move the limited amounts of Pfizer vaccine we received,” said Dr. Henry.

“But now, we are moving out the vaccine. We have been this past week, very actively going out to all long-term care homes in the province. We’re not at 100 per cent yet but we are getting there, that will be our focus for the next couple weeks.”

Dr. Henry said more vaccines are on the way.

1:58 B.C. officials report 27,000 COVID-19 vaccines have been administered