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Burns Lake nurse with heartfelt message

A first-hand account of how vaccination refusal is hurting the health care system
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A nurse at the Lakes District Hospital and Health Centre provided a first hand account of how much the hospital staff are struggling with COVID-19. (File photo/Lakes District News)

Aubrey Ingram, a nurse who works at the Lakes District Hospital and Health Centre in Burns Lake, made a post on Facebook on Nov. 10 outlining the difficulties she and other health care professionals have been facing on a day to day basis, and how important it is to get the COVID-19 vaccine.

Ingram begins the post by describing a night where she was called back into work hours after her shift had already ended due to the high number of COVID-19 patients being admitted. She says in the post that she finally left the hospital at 1 a.m. that night, when her shift was supposed to end at 3 p.m. that afternoon.

“I was called back to work this particular night to help with the never ending number of COVID-19 patients coming into our hospital. I was pulled from my dinner table with my children to help another person and hopefully give a family a happy ending,” Ingram said in her post.

“My head hurts, my nose hurts, I’m exhausted, and I’m coming back the next day [to work again]. I’m coming back because I love my job. I’m not burnt out because I have an incredible support group of family and friends around me. So this job will never get old for me. But it does get hard. I spent this evening, calming grown adult men, whipping their tears and honestly not knowing what their outcome will be,” she continued.

Ingram went on to provide a first hand account of what she’s witnessed working at the hospital.

Burns Lake nurse Aubrey Ingram after completing an emergency shift at 1 a.m., after previously finishing her original shift at 3 p.m that afternoon. (Aubrey Ingram photo/Lakes District News)
Burns Lake nurse Aubrey Ingram after completing an emergency shift at 1 a.m., after previously finishing her original shift at 3 p.m that afternoon. (Aubrey Ingram photo/Lakes District News)

“Some people are just not comfortable with this vaccine and that’s fine. But what I want to get out there is I’m scared for you. I’m scared for your kids, your parents, your grandparents, and the immunocompromised person in the grocery store. I’m scared that just because you don’t think you will get that sick that you will choose not to vaccinate. I don’t care what the stats say, I truly don’t anymore. I care about what I see. I see a revolving door of those who chose not to vaccinate come in one door and out the next door with a tube down their throat and a machine breathing for them. It’s scary,” she said.

“I’m not some hot shot at Vancouver General Hospital reading statistics to you. I’m telling you what I see. I have seen ICUs turn people away forcing the doctor to have those hard conversations with patients and families.”

Ingram says that she doesn’t want sympathy, she simply wants to get her message across to people who are against vaccinations. “I’m scared for the next person that walks through those doors that was just not given adequate information. Now, I am not your source for adequate information. I am your local small town nurse that can tell you what I see. I see non vaccinated people getting very sick.”

READ MORE: Lakes District Health Centre reaching COVID-19 crisis point

READ MORE: COVID-19 rapid testing available in Southside


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Eddie Huband
Multimedia Reporter
eddie.huband@ldnews.net
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