In mid-February, top doctors at Vancouver Coastal Health (VCH) sent a letter to the University of British Columbia (UBC) to end its mandatory rapid testing and Covid-19 restriction, claiming that these measures may cause more harm than good.
VCH Chief Medical Health Officer Dr. Patricia Daly and three other medical health officers urged the UBC to discontinue mandatory rapid testing for students, employees, and staff, claiming that rapid antigen testing is ‘unreliable in identifying infection with the Omicron variant.’
“While we applaud UBC for its work to protect and promote the wellbeing of students, staff and faculty, we believe some of the measures in place on campus – such as ongoing mandatory rapid tests for unvaccinated students and staff, and related employment/academic sanctions – are not useful in preventing the transmission of COVID-19 on campus. Not only is Rapid Antigen Testing of asymptomatic people unreliable in identifying infection with the Omicron variant, but we have no evidence that those who have not complied with UBC policies have posed any public health risk to their fellow students, faculty, or staff, even during circulation of other variants.”
The doctors also insisted on discontinuing the university’s intent to deregister students who have not complied with the mandatory testing and those who failed to declare their vaccination status.
Hellbound and Down 