BC Conservative leader John Rustad dodged questions from reporters when asked about his stance on vaccinations.
Rustad was peppered with questions when visiting Kimberley on Tuesday after the BC NDP leaked a video of Rustad saying he regrets getting the ‘so-called’ vaccine.
Rustad says the COVID-19 vaccine had a negative impact on his health.
“After I had the second shot of the COVID vaccine, about six weeks later, I had a heart problem. I actually got a third shot a number of months later,” said Rustad.
“When I went to talk to health officials about having that, the question they had for me was only one word: Moderna? To me, that tells me there were some issues. From that perspective, I do regret getting the COVID vaccines.”
The BCCDC says 14,108,529 COVID-19 vaccine doses were administered across the province by January 2023, with 6,131 adverse events reported.
Adverse events appeared in about 0.04 per cent of all doses administered in B.C., most of which were allergic reactions.
Despite his previous comments, Rustad says he endorses vaccines for people who need them.
“I always get my flu shot, every year. I think it’s a good thing to have. Last year was my first year I did not take a flu shot because of my schedule,” said Rustad.
“Those flu shots are available and need to be available for vulnerable people, for seniors. The same goes for COVID shots for people who need them and are vulnerable.”
According to the BCCDC, 85 per cent of all B.C. residents had two doses of their COVID vaccines by June 2022, with a drop in COVID infections following immunization.
“Two doses prevented about 65-75% of hospitalizations (reducing the risk of COVID-19 hospitalization by about two-thirds to three-quarters compared to unvaccinated people),” said BCCDC officials regarding vaccine effectiveness against the Delta and Omicron variants in 2022.
“Booster dose increased protection up to more than 95% against Delta infection or hospitalization.”
The BCCDC said COVID-19 is still infecting people and leading to deaths in extreme cases. As a result, health officials recommend that you keep your vaccines up to date.
Something going on in your part of the Kootenays you think people should know about? Send us a news tip by emailing [email protected].