Fraser Northwest Division of Family Practice recently launched a campaign called Physician on a Mission to tackle vaccine hesitancy by amplifying the voices of family physicians in the Coquitlam, Port Coquitlam, Port Moody, New Westminster, Vancouver and Greater Vancouver regions. This campaign was funded by the Public Health Agency of Canada through the Vaccine Community Innovation Challenge.
This video series focuses on minority groups by having family physicians speak in various languages (English, Korean, Farsi, Cantonese, & Arabic). There are 4 different topics which include the importance of reliable information when it comes to your health and the vaccine, the safety of vaccines for maternity & breastfeeding parents, the emphasis of receiving the second dose, and talking to your doctor if you have concerns about the vaccines.
False or misleading information is everywhere and it can be hard to know who to trust and where to turn when it comes to reliable Covid-19 vaccine information.
New Westminster physician Dr. Nahla Fahmy shared her input on the importance of receiving your second dose in English and in Arabic. She talks about the combination of vaccines, the quality of the vaccines and how they protect you.
“We can only get the full effectiveness of the vaccines if we get the second dose” Fahmy said. “Getting vaccinated is not only important for ourselves but our family, friends and loved ones.”
The COVID-19 pandemic has affected everyone in many different ways. In one video, Dr. Nazanine Rahnema, a New Westminster family physician, shares what she’s looking forward to as we return back to “normal life” in English and in Farsi.
“Getting the COVID-19 vaccine means being able to see my friends and family again and giving them a long overdue hug,” Rahnema said. “I’m looking forward to travelling and seeing my brother who I haven’t seen in over a year.”
Taking care of our own health is important, and when it comes to having a child, making the decision to get the vaccine can be overwhelming. Dr. Kathy Jones, a maternity doctor who has been practicing for over thirty years in New Westminster, shares her knowledge and expertise in this video (English) with people who are pregnant, breast-feeding or expecting to have a baby in the future.
“Right from the moment women know they are pregnant, their baby becomes their paramount concern,” Jones said. “We know that women who are pregnant are more vulnerable to getting sicker if they get any virus including COVID-19. The vaccine cannot harm the mom nor can it harm the baby”
Get vaccinated by going to the Government of BC’s Get Vaccinated webpage.
