by: gordon hoekstra
thousands of people marched against vaccine requirements and covid-19 restrictions in vancouver and several other canadian cities wednesday.
a large crowd gathered outside vancouver general hospital at 1 p.m., then made its way to vancouver city hall and across the cambie bridge to downtown vancouver, causing traffic and transit delays.
the demonstrators, some carrying upside-down canadian flags symbolic of a country in distress, were protesting vaccine requirements for health-care workers in long-term care homes, and vaccine passports needed to enter bars, restaurants, theatres, exercise classes and a range of other non-essential services.
this week, provincial government health officials said vaccine requirements could be extended to acute health-care workers as well.
the measures have been introduced as covid-19 cases began an exponential surge in august, with hospitalizations also on the rise. the majority of cases and hospitalizations — nearly 90 per cent — have been in unvaccinated people or those with one dose, according to information released by provincial health officials this week.
some protesters said it was wrong to impose vaccines and it should be a personal choice, and they also had concerns about safety.