.png;w=960)
St. John Ambulance medical first responder volunteers are among those supporting the COVID-19 vaccine clinic in Fort St. John.
The charity says volunteers have been supporting patients and providing first aid if needed across northern B.C. Recently, Provincial Commissioner David Valentine travelled from Victoria and spent a week at the city's clinic, volunteering 10-hour days, it said.
“If any of the nurses thought there might be an issue [with a patient], they would let us know and we would take particular attention to them. But we had no significant issues at all,” said Valentine. “It was a great experience; we were made to feel like we were part of the team. It was a good feeling knowing that we’d been able to help.”
Valentine said the most interesting part was watching the dynamic of patient reactions from when they first arrived to when they were leaving.
“At first, you could see they were apprehensive, they’re not sure what it’s all about,” said Valentine. “They left with big smiles, and every single one thanked us. For some, they said it was the first time they’d been out and able to socialize for months. I got the impression that it was a big relief.”
Volunteers have also been giving their time at clinics in Quesnel and Terrace. St. John Ambulance says it will continue to volunteer at clinics over the coming weeks.
To date, 83,709 vaccine doses have been given in the Northern Health region, including 2,967 second doses.
The province says it wants to double vaccination rates by the May long weekend.
Email Managing Editor Matt Preprost at [email protected].
