Protestors hold banners during a protest against BC Vaccine Card outside Vancouver City Hall on September 13, 2021 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
Protestors hold banners during a protest against BC Vaccine Card outside Vancouver City Hall on September 13, 2021 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Starting September 13, by order of the Provincial Health Officer (PHO), proof of vaccination is required to access some events, services and businesses.
Photo by Mert Alper Dervis/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images
  • A Vancouver paramedic said her team struggled to get a patient with an arterial bleed into the hospital.
  • British Columbia Ambulance Service reported delays during the protests.
  • On September 13, British Columbia's provincial health officer ordered proof of COVID-19 vaccination to access businesses and events.
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While thousands gathered on September 1 outside British Columbia hospitals to protest COVID-19 vaccinations and passports, an ambulance carrying someone in critical condition struggled to access St. Paul's Hospital due to protesters blocking the driveway, the Canadian Broadcasting Company (CBC) reported.

A Vancouver paramedic with more than three decades of experience – whose identity CBC kept confidential – said her team picked up a patient who was suffering from an arterial bleed from an industrial accident. The trip from Vancouver's waterfront, where the patient was working on a construction site, to the hospial normally takes around eight minutes but took more than twice as long, CBC reported.

British Columbia Ambulance Service told CBC that there were several reports of delays as paramedics navigated the congestion.

"I watched someone start to bleed to death when they didn't have to, when time would have made all the difference in the world," the paramedic, who is disheartened and on the verge of quitting, told CBC. "That was my last straw."

Protests against COVID-19-related public health measures have continued throughout the month, particularly in response to a September 13 order from British Columbia's provincial health officer, Dr. Bonnie Henry, requiring individuals to provide proof of vaccination to access many businesses and recreational events.

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