BANFF – Banff’s mayor has requested an urgent meeting with Alberta’s health minister to discuss the lack of COVID-19 vaccine availability in the community and strategies to distribute vaccines and rapid test kits.
Mayor Corrie DiManno asked the government to significantly increase the delivery of vaccines in Banff, and to provide walk-in clinics through rapid-flow facilities or health professionals, or at the very least through the Banff Community Health Centre.
“We also offer our ability to distribute rapid test kits more efficiently than overwhelmed pharmacies,” she wrote in a letter to Alberta Health Minister Jason Copping on Jan. 17.
As of Tuesday (Jan. 18), the Alberta Health Services online booking system shows only a handful of adult appointments available in Banff later next week, and no paediatric appointments available at all. At the same time, there is abundant availability more than 100 kilometres away in Calgary, which for so many Banff residents is not feasible.
Mayor DiManno said many of Banff’s residents do not have access to transportation or the time needed to travel over 200 kilometres – there and back – to get vaccinated.
“As a result, many people in Banff are waiting and hoping that more vaccines will become available locally,” she said.
“This delay is preventing a significant portion of our population from receiving the much-needed booster and leaving our children between five and 11 unvaccinated."
The mayor told Minister Copping that Banff is doing all it can to fully immunize residents, but is dealing with mounting frustration because of the lack of ongoing vaccine availability.
“We do not believe that health costs such as vaccine clinics should be borne by municipalities, but, as with these recent clinics, we acknowledge that the current pandemic has created extraordinary situations that require extraordinary contributions by everyone,” she said. “We are asking the province of Alberta to take back this jurisdictional responsibility to provide the resources and coordination of this desperately needed effort to fight our health crisis.”
As of Jan. 18, the number of reported COVID-19 active cases in Banff and Lake Louise on the government website is 183. However, it’s believed to be up to 10 times higher than that given the province’s changes in testing and reporting requirements.
So far, 10,464 people have received at least one vaccine dose in the Banff and Lake Louise region, with 9,326 double vaccinated and 2,901 having had three doses.
Mayor DiManno said the method of vaccine delivery in Banff is very important, noting the local workforce is largely made up of shift workers in the hospitality industry who come from many provinces and countries, and often do not yet have an Alberta Health Care Card.
“With the prevalence of the highly contagious variant, many businesses and services are suddenly faced with staffing challenges,” she said.
“The nature of scheduling in this industry, combined with the variable impact of the evolved virus makes it very difficult for many people in Banff to set and keep appointments for vaccines, even if they are within our community.”
Walk-in clinics have proven to be very successful in Banff. The Town of Banff commissioned private contractors for the walk-in clinics in council chambers on Jan. 9 and 10, which saw 430 shots given despite long lineups.
In light of that success, Banff council approved $20,000 to fund more vaccine clinics in the community. They are still waiting on securing dates, noting other vaccine clinics are happening in the community, including at the Rimrock Resort Hotel on Jan. 19 and 20.
“I don’t think we can wait on Alberta to open a mass clinic here. I think we can do it faster on our own,” said Councillor Chip Olver who put forward the motion to approve $20,000 during a special meeting of council on Jan. 12.
“I do think it’s a provincial responsibility in terms of these costs, but given that we won’t see it in the near future from the province, I think we should move ahead ourselves and organize another vaccination clinic.”
In her letter to the health minister, Mayor DiManno said there is more demand than Banff’s clinic or the local pharmacies are able to meet.
She said potential solutions include increasing capacity for walk-ins at the health centre, harnessing the capacity of Town-employed paramedics to administer vaccines at a walk-in clinic, or recruiting local community doctors and nurses who would be willing to help at a large-scale clinic.
Given the high rate of transmission and the severe impact on all organizations, Mayor DiManno said these types of emergency measures to increase widespread paediatric and booster dose coverage appears logical.
“We propose that when the rapid test kits become available for the general public, that the province consider partnering with municipalities to assist in the distribution rather than relying on our already busy pharmacies, which we believe should be focusing their limited time issuing vaccines rather than managing phone calls and handing out rapid test kits,” she said.
“We are well positioned to distribute these kits out of our facilities.”
Alison Gerrits, the Town of Banff’s deputy director of emergency management, said she expects Banff’s case count being recorded on the provincial website to drop substantially with the changes in eligibility for PCR testing.
She said the data published on the website cannot really be relied upon any longer, but said the wastewater surveillance data is a far more accurate gauge and monitoring system, showing trends over time.
“It gives us a better and greater sense of confidence when we do start to see – and we will start to see – the numbers drop,” she said, noting wastewater samples are taken three times a week.
“To be honest, as much as we all got to rely on those daily active case counts, it’s a more accurate gauge because it’s non-discriminatory because it collects all of the virus in the community that is circulating.”
Mayor DiManno said she knows there’s anxiety in the community whenever COVID-19 cases soar.
“Council’s heart goes out to those who are sick and having to isolate. It’s a dark time of year because of the sun going down so early and it can be made darker because you're feeling sick, you’re feeling alone,” she said during the Jan. 12 council meeting.
“I just want to say to any of those folks – please reach out to friends, to family, to a medical health professional if you are needing any support – please, please do that.”
Mayor DiManno said council also feels for businesses in the community trying to manage staff shortages as well as employees who can’t work because they are sick and isolating.
“I want to ask everyone to take care of each other, stay calm and absolutely follow the advice of medical professionals,” she said. “This is a mental marathon we are on.”
Support services continue to be available for Banff residents. Visit Banff.ca/covidhelp for details, or email [email protected] or call 403-762-1251.
