More COVID-19 press briefings coming to B.C. but they won't feature Dr. Bonnie Henry
A group calling themselves non-partisan health professionals are holding their first briefing on B.C.'s COVID-19 response this week, citing a lack of transparency and a "worrisome lack of science-informed pandemic response" from officials in the province.
Protect Our Province BC says its members include scientists, infectious disease experts, policy analysts and community organizers. The organization wants to see the number of COVID-19 cases in British Columbia drastically reduced.
Dr. Karina Zeidler, co-founder of the group and a family physician, says there's a growing disconnect between what the scientific community is learning about COVID-19 and the messaging coming from the province, particularly when it comes to how big a role aerosol transmission plays in the virus' spread. One of the key issues the group hopes to tackle is how to keep the virus at bay and dramatically decrease how much of it is circulating in the community.
"If the B.C. government is saying that the main mode of transmission is droplets and we're putting forward that the main mode of transmission is aerosol, then that's, you know, a criticism ... of the government," she explained to CTV News in an interview.
Zeidler said aerosol transmission means people inhaling smaller droplets that go farther and hang out in the air much longer than larger droplets.
Protect our Province BC says the government should implement several measures to try and reduce the spread of the novel coronavirus, including effective ventilation and air purification, expanded use of high-quality masks, easy-to-access rapid testing, improved contact tracing, and better exposure notifications.
At the B.C. legislature, asked how the new briefings might impact how the public views the ones with himself and Dr. Bonnie Henry, Health Minister Adrian Dix said he wasn't worried.
"Dr. Henry is a renowned international expert on her subject matter, she’s an extraordinary public health officer," Dix told reporters.
"There’s a robust debate here in Canada and everywhere on these issues, and Dr Henry, I can tell you, listens to everyone, so she takes all of the evidence presented to her very seriously. We have an outstanding team, it’s why she has led pandemic response, not just on this continent, but on other continents."
The briefings will be modelled on ones being held in Alberta. Outspoken health professionals in that province are largely credited with helping pressure the government to implement enhanced COVID-19 measures that have started bringing down the number of cases.
Asked how the group would ensure the accuracy of its statements given it doesn't have access to the same information as government, Zeidler said the goal isn't to replace the B.C. Centre for Disease Control or public health experts, but to question whether more can be done and if the right measures are in place.
"I think that in every healthy democracy that holding our government to account is an important thing."
The format of the briefings will include commentary on case numbers, assessment of where the pandemic is headed, and will feature experts from a variety of fields to share their experiences and strategies to reduce transmission. Members of the media and public will also be able to ask questions. At this point, the goal is to hold them weekly with past episodes uploaded to the website protectbc.ca.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
B.C. seeks ban on using drugs in 'all public spaces,' shifting approach to decriminalization
The B.C. government is moving to have drug use banned in 'all public spaces,' marking a major shift in the province's approach to decriminalization.
Orca calf that was trapped in B.C. lagoon for weeks swims free
An orca whale calf that has been stranded in a B.C. lagoon for weeks after her pregnant mother died swam out on her own early Friday morning.
Trump's lawyers try to discredit testimony of prosecution's first witness in hush money trial
Donald Trump's defence team attacked the credibility Friday of the prosecution's first witness in his hush money case, seeking to discredit testimony detailing a scheme between Trump and a tabloid to bury negative stories to protect the Republican's 2016 presidential campaign.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
Air traveller complaints to Canadian Transportation Agency hit new high
The Canadian Transportation Agency has hit a record high of more than 71,000 complaints in a backlog. The quasi-judicial regulator and tribunal tasked with settling disputes between customers and the airlines says the backlog is growing because the number of incoming complaints keeps increasing.
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
'I was scared': Ontario man's car repossessed after missing two repair loan payments
An Ontario man who took out a loan to pay for auto repairs said his car was repossessed after he missed two payments.
76ers All-Star centre Joel Embiid says he has Bell's palsy
Philadelphia 76ers All-Star centre Joel Embiid has been diagnosed with Bell’s palsy, a form of facial paralysis he says has affected him since before the play-in tournament.
U.S. flight attendant indicted in attempt to record teen girl in airplane bathroom
An American Airlines flight attendant was indicted Thursday after authorities said he tried to secretly record video of a 14-year-old girl using an airplane bathroom last September.