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Penny Daflos Profile picture
Penny Daflos
@PennyDaflos
@CTVVancouver journalist & coffee enthusiast. Reporting style: confrontation with a smile. On Mast, Post, etc as @pennydaflos.
May 31, 2023 • 6 tweets • 4 min read
A big @BCNursesUnion rally is kicking off in downtown Vancouver
Details here: @CTVVancouver #bcpoli
bc.ctvnews.ca/we-believe-pat… This is a huge turnout
Dec 7, 2022 • 6 tweets • 3 min read
For a week, I’ve been chasing @CDCofBC to find out how many have died from respiratory viruses since Sept, broken down by virus type & age

They said they’d reply but are now ignoring me

Then yesterday, doctors were told 6 kids in BC have died from flu 1/
bc.ctvnews.ca/flu-blamed-for… The doctors, most of whom work at children’s & women’s hospitals in Vancouver, also discussed patients in labour being turned away and @BCChildrensHosp having only 12 staffed ICU beds, but often 13 or 14 little patients they’re trying to keep alive 2/
bc.ctvnews.ca/b-c-doctors-di…
Dec 2, 2022 • 10 tweets • 4 min read
By now you've likely seen the Simons ad w a woman talking about dying in a fairytale setting
It's been called dystopian, disturbing, glamourizing euthanasia
To me it's also baffling
I spent hours talking to Jennyfer as she fought to LIVE a little longer 1/
bc.ctvnews.ca/b-c-woman-behi… Jennyfer Hatch reqd anonymity as she spoke about finding "deathcare" much easier than healthcare in @Fraserhealth
Her situation was complex, but ultimately our systems let her down
In June she weighed 89lbs, was facing homelessness w a looming eviction 2/
bc.ctvnews.ca/easier-to-let-…
Nov 24, 2022 • 6 tweets • 3 min read
NEW: Surrey Memorial Hosp was built to see 72 kids in the pediatric ER / day
It's seeing 250+
That's +100 per day than last yr
One of their doctors is speaking up about treating sick youngsters wherever they can & expanding to the adult ER 1/
@CTVVancouver
bc.ctvnews.ca/busiest-pediat… TIL, SMH sees way more kids in ER than BC Children's Hospital

SMH: 250+ daily (12 ED beds, 16 overnight beds)
BCCH: 150+ daily (35 ED beds, ? overnight)

BCCH brass are downplaying the situation as "pretty normal", but internal memos suggest otherwise 2/
Sep 30, 2022 • 7 tweets • 4 min read
The euphemism is "decanting" but the reality is, BC is about to expel nearly 1 in 3 patients in hospital to make room for COVID&flu patients
Who's going to care for them?
No one talked to care home ops or nurses, who say there isn't staff 1/
@CTVVancouver
bc.ctvnews.ca/no-consultatio… This revelation comes on the same day documented COVID-19 hospitalizations have grown for the first time in months 2/
bc.ctvnews.ca/number-with-co…
Sep 28, 2022 • 20 tweets • 7 min read
BC’s health minister are now beginning a briefing where they’re discussing removing patients from hospitals to make room for an expected surge in Covid and influenza patients
“A lot of uncertainty remains”
Some info here:
@CTVVancouver
bc.ctvnews.ca/here-s-how-b-c… Typos ugh
PHO Dr. Bonnie Henry says they've done a "deep dive" into C19 hospitalizations and say about half of people are there BECAUSE of covid, same with deaths
That analysis takes time
Jun 8, 2022 • 10 tweets • 5 min read
The @bccoroners report into BC's heat dome found 83% of people were already dead or died at the scene when paramedics arrived
Just imagine the trauma & moral distress
We'll never know how many deaths could've been avoided, but what I do know... 1/ 🧵
bc.ctvnews.ca/coroners-revie… Is that brass at @BC_EHS didn't take the threat seriously and didnt go to their highest alert level until well after mass casualties rolled in
I've never had a good explanation as to why
But multiple frontline workers told me mgmt ignored their concerns 2/
bc.ctvnews.ca/bcehs-struggle…
Jun 7, 2022 • 8 tweets • 4 min read
595 people died in last year’s heat dome
Today’s #bcpoli announcement is touted as lots of behind-the-scenes work to prevent that kind of death-toll again
But it’s underwhelming — because they already had most of it in place!
No exaggeration 🧵 1/
bc.ctvnews.ca/b-c-expands-al… As I reported last year in what may be the most frustrating piece I produced (which is really saying something) WE ALREADY HAD A HEAT ALERT SYSTEM but FEW KNEW ABOUT IT
It was a catastrophic failure of stakeholder & public health messaging/communication 2/
bc.ctvnews.ca/metro-vancouve…
Apr 29, 2022 • 6 tweets • 4 min read
Most Canadians support the choice to die with dignity
But what is free choice? How does mental illness factor into supporting that choice? What if medical supports aren't addressing suffering?
Just some of the thorny issues in this story
@CTVVancouver 1/
bc.ctvnews.ca/police-investi… My colleague, Avis Favaro, broke the story about Donna Duncan's complex and difficult situation and the @AbbyPoliceDept investigation underway
She also raised a key question: did limited medical services during the pandemic play a role? 2/
Dec 13, 2021 • 5 tweets • 3 min read
The focus is on Omicron (as it shd be) but I just want to caution people looking at case counts to gauge how BC is doing
There's now a massive disconnect between cases/deaths compared to other provs
@GovCanHealth data as of Fri, comparing active cases to deaths in the past wk 1/ ImageImage Very smart people like @DrMtyndall (the former head of the BCCDC) and @Dr_Conway_VIDC have been very actively calling for more testing but those warnings and pleas have been largely ignored by #bcpoli decision makers 2/
bc.ctvnews.ca/blindly-going-…
Dec 5, 2021 • 7 tweets • 4 min read
It was a busy news week and this got a little lost, so let's take a closer look at changes around emergency medical care in BC
It's been a long time in the making, but will take time to implement -- and #bcpoli isn't using a quick win strategy that could help in the meantime🧵 1/ What do I mean? Right now, ~40% of calls to @BC_EHS are NOT emergencies
Want to improve 911 response? Ad blitz across media w a clear msg:
🚨Require urgent medical care? Call 911
🩺Need medical advice or help seeing a doc? Call 811, they can hook you up 2/
healthlinkbc.ca/more/about-hea…
Nov 18, 2021 • 9 tweets • 5 min read
The #bcpoli govt tried to explain why BC is the only province that DOES NOT issue emergency text alerts 📵

I say "tried" because at best it was nonsensical, at worst it was political spin & misinformation ⚠️

Our Public Safety Min raised concerns --
about OVERcommunicating 🧐1/ Abbotsford's mayor said he didn't want to alarm "the whole city" about this evacuation, and the Min insisted he didn't want to "panic" a large area
BUT the @AlertReady system goes through targeted cell towers, so urban areas allow for more precision 2/
Oct 19, 2021 • 4 tweets • 2 min read
BC's Min. of Citizen's Services insists $25/FOI request won't be a barrier, but:
1. Mins & agencies are increasingly punting routine requests to FOI
2. They know newsroom budgets are insanely tight and they can further starve journalists of info that way
#bcpoli The rationale is other provs charge and "BC receives more FOI requests annually than the other 3 western provinces combined."
Repeat after me: stories like this shouldn NOT require FOI, they should be disclosed as they're completed:
bc.ctvnews.ca/dozens-dead-hu…
Sep 10, 2021 • 6 tweets • 4 min read
Susan Tasson went to Royal Inland Hospital with stomach pain Tuesday night.
The beloved Kamloops grandma died 6 hours later in the waiting room, her head resting on her daughter's shoulder, having never seen a doctor. 1/ @CTVVancouver #bcpoli
bc.ctvnews.ca/family-traumat… The health minister was asked to confirm this @KamThisWeek story describing only 3 nurses were on shift instead of 24. Adrian Dix didn't deny the number and insisted they've injected $1m into RIH this year to deal with ED shortages. 2/
kamloopsthisweek.com/news/patient-s…
Aug 18, 2021 • 11 tweets • 5 min read
BC's premier has kept a low profile during Covid to "focus on experts"
HOWEVER he's had enough gaffes that keeping him out of the spotlight may serve a dual purpose👀
BUT no public appearances for 4 wks as fires grow & the 4th wave surges?
Major backlash
bc.ctvnews.ca/it-doesn-t-loo… This was the last time Horgan was seen publicly, on July 21. His office has confirmed he's on vacation but won't confirm he's in Atlantic Canada nor when he went.
bc.ctvnews.ca/b-c-s-wildfire…
Jun 29, 2021 • 4 tweets • 2 min read
The premier was also asked about preps and messaging for the unprecedented heat wave.

"Fatalities are part of life," responded Premier Horgan. "The public was acutely that aware we had a heat problem."

100+ died related to heat in Metro alone: #bcpoli
bc.ctvnews.ca/never-seen-any… More context: the VPD say they typically respond to 3-4 sudden death calls per day. Since Friday, they've had an average of 14 sudden deaths per day, describing it as "unprecedented casualties."
Is this part of life?
Jun 29, 2021 • 12 tweets • 6 min read
Have BC's COVID cases & deaths really been that much lower than QC, or have they been looking harder?
That's one of the big questions arising from a bombshell report by @MoriartyLab et al, who believe the death toll could be DOUBLE.
1/@CTVVancouver #bcpoli
bc.ctvnews.ca/it-s-really-di… Their peer-reviewed paper to @RSCTheAcademies is dense and complicated and the result of many months of work (I started talking to Moriarty about this in early spring).
Read it for yourself here: 2/ rsc-src.ca/en/covid-19-po…
May 14, 2021 • 8 tweets • 3 min read
“It was a way of making sure we weren't overly cautious," said Dr. Henry when asked about non-outbreak protocols in BC care homes with an infected staffer.
"Enhanced surveillance" doesn't prompt a testing team nor trigger notifications.@CTVVancouver 1/
bc.ctvnews.ca/no-extra-testi… He spent 4 mos in an FOI battle to find out how many times VCH & FH declared "enhanced screening" rather than outbreaks in the 2nd wave, and @ianjamesyoung70 did a deep dive into the stats w grim conclusions.
The health authorities still left out info. 2/
scmp.com/news/china/dip…
May 8, 2021 • 11 tweets • 6 min read
There's a famous Hemingway quote describing going bankrupt two ways: "Gradually, then suddenly."
I think that's what's been happening with trust and goodwill with BC public health officers and yesterday was the suddenly.
bc.ctvnews.ca/b-c-health-off… @CTVVancouver #bcpoli Someone leaked these reports to the @VancouverSun. Yet the dep PHO tried to spin the idea it wasn't a leak despite the fact CDC didn't publish them and several pages clearly say “For authorized internal public health use only –not for public distribution."
vancouversun.com/news/local-new…
May 7, 2021 • 5 tweets • 3 min read
The BCCDC acknowledged airborne transmission of COVID-19 this week but the province isn’t changing its messaging or recos: “We have always said, there is a continuum of droplets.”
A UBC air quality expert says msg/recos have to evolve. @CTVVancouver 1/5
bc.ctvnews.ca/open-a-window-… Michael Braur says ventilation is key and we should add open doors and windows to our layers of protection whenever indoors with people we don’t live with.
Simple and effective — while keeping our distance.
Much harder to do at workplaces, where air filtration is important. 2/5
May 7, 2021 • 4 tweets • 4 min read
This is a huge scoop by @njgriffiths and deeply concerning.
In other provinces, a lot of this kind of information is easily available online.
BC has a significant transparency problem, in addition to ongoing communication and messaging issues. A few recent threads laying out examples of transparency issues in BC: