ROTHENBURGER: The other side of the Coun. Denis Walsh vaccination story

She seemed quite edgy. Then she said it was her understanding that Denis had not been vaccinated for COVID. I said no, Denis hasn’t been vaccinated.

She then said she knew Denis but was “pissed off” about his stand on vaccinations and left.

When my friend and I were finished our coffees and heading out the door, the woman was there, saying, “One more thing.” That one more thing was, does staff at The Vic check for vaccination cards?

“No, they don’t,” I said. “It’s not required.”

Walsh is on the hot seat this week because he hasn’t been vaccinated and doesn’t intend to be, and my conversation with the woman is probably typical of the kind of reaction he’s been getting.

His business may be affected, and he may well pay a political price as well. He admits he’s already lost some friends over it.

Another civic politician in the region has also declared he won’t consent to being vaccinated. He’s Santo Talarico, the mayor of Cache Creek. Since I and Talarico serve together on the regional board, I’ll refrain from commenting on his situation. He won’t give reasons for his position, anyway, saying publicly only that it’s a “personal choice” and he has a right to it.

Walsh isn’t built that way. When asked a question, he says what he thinks. He doesn’t calculate how many votes he might win or lose with each position he takes. He’s paying the price for that candor right now.

He’s been on the receiving end of vitriol that rivals the hysteria from the other side — the anti-vaxxers and their conspiracy theories.

Denis Walsh isn’t a conspiracy theorist, but he does feel passionately about the question of City councils mandating COVID-19 vaccinations for staff, or for themselves.

As I said in the editorial a few days ago, he strongly believes that forcing anyone to take the jab on penalty of losing their job is unethical.

He also points out that he got COVID this past March and is convinced it has given him better immunity than the vaccine could have provided. Many will argue with that, but he points to a credible, though not peer-reviewed, Israeli study that backs him up.

“Natural immunity from contracting coronavirus provided Israelis with longer-lasting protection against the Delta variant than two shots of the Pfizer vaccine given early this year, new Israeli research suggests,” says the opening paragraph in a Times of Israel article last month.

It goes on to say, “People who had two vaccine shots had a six-fold higher chance of getting infected with Delta than patients who hadn’t been vaccinated but previously contracted the coronavirus, according to the research.”

The study, said to be the largest of its kind, compared 40,035 people who caught the virus with the same number who were double-vaccinated.

“Why all of a sudden are we not paying attention to science?” Walsh asked during our conversation.

The article, however, quotes the scientists who did the study as saying it doesn’t mean people who have had COVID shouldn’t be vaccinated. The study also raised alarm bells that unvaccinated people might be tempted to intentionally try to get COVID, thinking it would give them immunity and they could avoid the jab. That’s playing with fire.

The Israeli scientists also said those who previously got COVID and were then vaccinated attained a higher level of immunity than if they hadn’t been vaccinated.

Walsh said he’s “super” cautious, abiding by all the COVID protocols such as social distancing and mask wearing, and avoiding crowds. “I’m not going to hockey games; I’m not going to the Blue Grotto,” a likely reference to double-vaccinated Coun. Sadie Hunter, who caught COVID at the night club.

He said other councillors have known for quite some time that he’s not vaccinated and none of them complained about it. Coun. Dale Bass admitted to Shelley Joyce on CBC Daybreak she’s never even talked to Walsh about it. But since it hit the media, he said, they’re now intent on all council members being vaccinated before they can attend meetings.

“Why is it now that it’s in the media and I’ve declined it, is it an issue? Why all of a sudden am I a threat?”

He calls making the vaccination a condition of employment “a pretty big stick.” Walsh’s position fails to consider that this is a war, and big-stick measures are necessary right now. Requiring workers to be vaccinated is justifiable but councils would look pathetically hypocritical if they didn’t also mandate it for themselves.

However, a key fact in all this is that Walsh has pre-existing health conditions that make him wary of the vaccine. That makes it highly unlikely he’ll relent and go to the next vaccine clinic, but it also provides a way out.

Council could try extending the Zoom thing but the legality of enforcing that is in question. If it stands up in court, it could be used until COVID infections drop to a level deemed acceptable.

Barring that, a provision could be included for both staff and councillors for exemptions based on pre-existing medical conditions or having already gotten COVID. Another option is testing, which is apparently being considered for staff.

Either Walsh and the rest of council find an acceptable compromise, or they’re headed for an ugly confrontation.

Mel Rothenburger is a former mayor of Kamloops and a retired newspaper editor. He is a regular contributor to CFJC Today, publishes the ArmchairMayor.ca opinion website, and is a director on the Thompson-Nicola Regional District board. He can be reached at mrothenburger@armchairmayor.ca.

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Editor’s Note: This opinion piece reflects the views of its author, and does not necessarily represent the views of CFJC Today or Pattison Media.

by Mel Rothenburger

ROTHENBURGER: The other side of the Coun. Denis Walsh vaccination story

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