Taxpayers infected with Covid will now have to show proof
of full vaccination to be admitted to provincial hospitals
said the premier, or else pay a tax surcharge equal to the cost of treatment
of the non-Covid patient they are displacing.
This move, he suggested, will free up hospital resources
to treat those urgently in need of cancer and cardiac care,
and help reduce the wait-lists of those
requiring elective surgeries such as knee
or hip replacement. Not being vaccinated, he noted,
is also an elective condition – a condition which the unvaccinated
can treat themselves, unlike those who require
the skilled teamwork of joint replacement.
Asked by reporters whether this policy will apply also
to those suffering from other kinds of self-harm
such as drug overdose or suicide attempt
the premier replied that such patients were already
at risk of inadequate care because of the staffing shortages
being caused by the surge of unvaccinated Covid patients
and that the aim of the new policy
was to give equal opportunities for treatment to all
citizens in need of medical care. As well, he smiled
mental patients seldom earn enough to pay income tax.
Some of those listening laughed. Some snickered.
Some began shouting incoherently.
"Aren't anti-vaxxers also mentally ill?"
shouted one especially loud man.
We reporters adjusted our masks and rushed off
to file our stories.
FRANK DAVEY