‘It’s Been a Nightmare’: BC Health Workers Describe Staff Shortages Due to Vaccine Mandate

A nurse works in the COVID-19 Intensive Care Unit at Surrey Memorial Hospital in Surrey, B.C., on June 4, 2021. The Canadian Press/Jonathan Hayward

Anna Isaak knew her job as a care aide at Worthington Pavilion in Abbotsford, B.C., was coming to an end. She had decided not to comply with the provincial mandate that all health-care workers be vaccinated against COVID-19, and the Oct. 26 proof-of-vaccination deadline was looming.

However, the impact of her unexpectedly sudden departure struck with an unceremonious punch she wasn’t prepared for.