Kelly Cannon feels lucky that she received the COVID-19 vaccine through the industry she works in.
Cannon’s son has cancer, and she says many parents like her have not been immunized. She says she can’t understand why parents of a medically vulnerable child aren’t being prioritized.
“I’m not saying we’re a higher priority,” she said. “What I’d say is we are a priority and why are we not on the list yet?”
B.C.’s has fast-tracked vaccination for clinically extremely vulnerable people.
Ontario has taken it one step further, allowing an essential caregiver of a person with a high-risk health condition to receive a jab.
The B.C. government says supply issues mean difficult decisions have to be made.
“I would love to be able to do every group at once, but we can’t and we need to focus on how we move through that as quickly as possible,” provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry said Monday.
B.C.’s vaccination plan continues to be flexible to provide for different groups and communities when needed.
Cannon said there is an enormous amount of pressure inside hospitals, on staff and on parents. A shot for parents, she says, would be the easiest way to ease everyone’s mind.
“I feel safest in that hospital. Their care has been first-rate and the doctors and nurses take such precautions,” she said.
“It’s that whatever I bring in is now accessed to all the other parents on the floor as well.”