POINT ROBERTS, Wash. — Should the U.S. lend a helping hand to Canada, and establish a border vaccination clinic?
Point Roberts Fire Chief Christopher Carleton thinks so.
"I think Canadians should have the right to come across and get vaccinated here," Carleton said.
Point Roberts shares its only land border with Canada, which has been closed for more than a year. The small town can only reach the rest of Washington state by ferry.
Carleton offered to establish a pop-up clinic of sorts in his tiny town on the 49th parallel. He says more than 80% of his residents are vaccinated, and Point Roberts, like other Whatcom County towns, are flush with vaccine at a time when its Canadian neighbors are not.
"It's not about geopolitical lines that are drawn on a map, that if Canada's having difficulty vaccinating their population, that population should be assisted by us as we're assisting other locations around the world as well," Carleton said.
Carleton said there is potential to safely administer injections across the international line, at a place like Monument Park in Point Roberts. Yet, he was firmly rebuked by the Whatcom County Health Department, he said.
In an email provided to KING 5, the county listed off its criteria for Canadians and strongly suggested that providers not vaccinate anyone who makes the trip for a shot.
"Providers are permitted to administer COVID vaccinations to Canadians as vaccine supply allows. There is no need to turn Canadians away if there are doses available," the email reads, but "if vaccine supply is limited, residents of WA State should be prioritized and Canadians may be turned away," and "providers are not required to vaccinate Canadians, even if they have adequate vaccine supply."
The email continues, in bold letters, "COVID vaccinations for Canadians should not be advertised or promoted."
Vaccine tourism is gaining popularity in Canada, with only 3% of the population fully vaccinated. Multiple reports, north of the border, suggest that Canadians are flying into the U.S., even with the threat of quarantine, just to get a dose. In fact, there have been exemptions in some northern states which share a border with Canada. Border clinics have been established in places like Montana and North Dakota, aimed at vaccinating cross-border truckers.
The Whatcom County directive does not fall in line with what the state Department of Health (DOH) said earlier this week.
In a televised address, DOH Assistant Secretary Michele Roberts said, “anyone who has not been vaccinated yet, and is eligible, can get a vaccine in Washington, regardless of where they live.” When asked for clarity on whether country of origin is a factor, a DOH spokesperson referred to the statement again.
Whatcom County reports that 55% of eligible residents have received at least one dose, and that walk in doses are available. In a statement Friday, Whatcom County Health Department spokesperson Schuyler Shelloner wrote:
"As a public health agency, the Whatcom County Health Department is certainly interested in getting as many shots in arms as possible to end the pandemic. However, we are charged with doing so in compliance with all state and federal guidance and ensuring that county residents continue to have access to vaccine. As there are over 2 million people living in Lower Mainland British Columbia, Whatcom County is not in a position to be a primary vaccination option for Canadians seeking vaccine. Whatcom County also does not have jurisdiction over the border. We would continue to refer you to the Department of Health for answers to your questions about availability of vaccine for Canadians who are able to cross the border for this purpose."
"It was reprehensible," said Carleton, about the county's position. "We have more vaccine than participants."
He continued, "To mention specific nationality becomes a discriminatory prejudice act at that point."
Carlton fully acknowledges that his perspective is different, with his small town full of dual citizens, and having been cut off from the rest of the mainland for more than a year. But, he says, there are other small towns spread across the international border that could also play a role in reconnecting and reopening the important travel and trade corridor. He believes explicitly excluding Canadians is counterproductive.
"That is not the direction we should be going as allies, and the reliance that we have on each other as a country, and the close relationship that we've had for decades and centuries," he said.