EDMONTON – It seems Alberta’s vaccine passport is already having an impact before it has even been fully put in place.
Alberta Premier Jason Kenney addressed questions about the new incoming vaccine passport system during a Facebook live Thursday night and said about 25,000 people have booked shots since Wednesday’s announcement.
Kenney said while he initially took issue with asking for people’s private health information, circumstances have changed.
READ MORE: Alberta adopts proof-of-vaccination program for certain services, reinstates strict public health measures
“I did say that I have very serious concerns about privacy legislation in this respect about asking people for information on their health status. I’ve always said consistently that there are limited exceptions to that when necessary, and I think we are in such a space now,” Kenney told Albertans tuned in to the stream.
The premier says he got legal advice from the province’s lawyers, and that this was the correct choice to protect everybody in Alberta.
“Our government, as the primary provider of health care in our system, has a legal, and of course ethical obligation to do everything we can to ensure adequate health care, and we cannot ensure that unless we take measures, such as these.”
RELATED:
-
‘ICUs are under extreme pressure’: Hospitals overwhelmed as COVID cases continue to climb in Alberta
-
Alberta’s COVID-19 situation forces specialty docs to act as ICU reinforcements
-
Alberta turns to staffing agencies for nurses as it deals with patient surge
For those not supportive of the incoming vaccine passport, Kenney asks what they suggest as an alternative?
“Do you think it’s a responsible alternative to allow completely uncontrolled viral transmission to accelerate the spread of the virus to a point where we can no longer offer health care to people? I don’t think that is the responsible choice–morally, ethically, or legally.”
The premier says the crisis we’re in right now calls for action, as hospitals are overrun with cases.
Medical professionals have warned that Alberta’s health system is on the verge of collapse.
READ MORE: AHS could implement last resort COVID-19 protocol within days
ICUs are so full, emergency doctors and nurses are being asked to review the last-resort Critical Care Triage Protocol as it could be enacted for the first time since the pandemic started in the coming days.
The protocol is used to prioritize who gets critical care.
Doctors would have to consult tools and statistics to figure out which patients they can save and which they can’t save as in that scenario where there aren’t enough critical care resources available for everyone.
-with files from Jeff Slack and Saif Kaisar
