As many as six New Westminster Police Department officers have had to self-isolate after dealing with a prisoner with COVID-19.
And that has led to calls from the NWPD for first responders in New West to be vaccinated.
“Seriously unhappy to learn up to 6 @NewWestPD members have to self-isolate now after finding out a prison they dealt with is COVID +,” tweeted Deputy Chief Constable Paul Hyland.
“It is quite frustrating our staff still have not been scheduled for vaccination under the @Fraserhealth first responder priority program while most surrounding jurisdictions have. Our members are literally putting themselves in harm’s way each shift and often don’t control the circumstances in which they interact with the public. Really hoping we can make this happen soon.”
In a statement to Global News, Fraser Health said police and firefighters in New West were scheduled to be vaccinated the week of May 10.
“We recognize that first responders in our communities want to receive their vaccine as soon as possible, and we are working as quickly as we can to facilitate access for these individuals,” the health authority said.
“We are prioritizing communities where we are seeing the highest rates of COVID-19 transmission, and are completing immunizations in accordance with public health risk assessment.”
