British Columbia is bringing in a Vaccine Passport system for the province.
It’s not perfect (it doesn’t include outdoor ticketed sports events, even those with up to 5,000 people or more, or include retail shopping or grocery stores), but it’s a good start.
British Columbia has an excellent record of vaccinations. At last look, 85% of British Columbians have had at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, and an amazing 76% have received the full dose regimen. That’s almost world leading.
Yet still, our COVID-19 cases are on the rise, as are hospital stays. We’re averaging about 550 new cases a day right now (after a low of about 130 cases a day several months back). We’re not nearly as bad as other places with a similar population level. For example, the State of Louisiana, with 4.6 million people (BC has 5.1 million) has a vaccination rate of 47% / 38% (partial / full), and right now has an average of 5,000 new cases a day.
Our cases are on the rise because, as our society is opening back up, masks become voluntary, and large gatherings are allowed, the un-vaccinated are accounting for around 90% of all new COVID cases, and 97% of all COVID related hospital stays.
Vaccination levels have dropped immensely in the province, because of three specific groups:
- The Lazy (people who just can’t be bothered to go and get the shots)
- Youth (who feel they’re invulnerable and even if they do get COVID, it’s a meh whatever)
- Anti-Vaxxers (aka pro-child death people).
Out of the 15% of BCers who haven’t gotten the jab yet, my best guess — just based on a lot of reading and interactions with people regarding the pandemic — is that 10% of the population is either the lazy, or youth. About 5% are hard core anti-vaxxers.
The problem is, people think there’s more anti-vaxxers because they’re so frigging vocal online. Taking over every tweet thread, jumping in every reddit thread, taking over Facebook. But I really do think 5% is a generous number, at least in our province.
This is why I think the new vaccine passport brought in will bring us up to 95% vaccinated by late October. The lazy, and the youth don’t want second class citizen status, and will finally get off their butts to get the jabs.
British Columbia Vaccine Passport Plan
If you aren’t partially vaccinated by September 13, or fully vaccinated by mid October, these are the following things you will not be able to attend in British Columbia:
- indoor ticketed sporting events
- indoor concerts
- indoor theatre/dance/symphony events
- restaurants (indoor and patio dining)
- night clubs
- casinos
- movie theatres
- fitness centres/gyms (excluding youth recreational sport)
- businesses offering indoor high-intensity group exercise activities
- organized indoor events (eg. weddings, parties, conferences, meetings, workshops)
- discretionary organized indoor group recreational classes and activities
There’s a lot of things on that list that the lazy and self-centred, and the “invulnerable” youth will not like missing out on. This is what will finally motivate them to do the right thing and get vaccinated.
For the hard core anti-vaxxers? They can keep calling the rest of us nazis, claiming we’re “racist” towards anti-vaxxers, and how this is a Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms violation (it isn’t), but that’s fine. They won’t be allowed in restaurants. They won’t be allowed at movie theatres. They won’t be allowed at sporting events or concerts. They won’t be allowed at weddings and workshops and parties. They won’t be allowed in gyms.
And that’s fine. The rest of us can move on to herd immunity and a much safer public environment, and they can stay home.
I only wish the order extended to shopping malls, indoor retail spaces and limited their ability to visit grocery stores and pharmacies too. Maybe that will come. Have a COVIDIOT shopping night one day a week – maybe 5-9pm on a Monday.
