Dear Editor,
During the COVID health event, I noticed a miscommunication or understanding of the provincial bodies concerning cellphones.
I have a flip cellphone, not a smartphone. B.C. provincial health uses a smartphone system for the vaccine times.
When one books an appointment for a vaccine, they must give a phone number that can accept texts. I cannot afford a phone plan so texts sent by me and received cost me $0.25. Worse, a smartphone text works out to four to six texts on my flip phone.
When a vaccine appointment is set up, from start to finish, it is six to eight texts.
I pay $4.50 to $6 each vaccine confirmation.
I helped my elder family member, and it adds up.
With two vaccines plus two boosters, I am paying in texts $18 to $24 for me plus family members. Yikes!
I am on federal disability and received a one-time COVID relief of $600, this added up to $24 per month for two years of help, while those on provincial disability received $100 to $200 per month for two plus years.
Now B.C. is setting up a ‘health response alert’ and a flip cellphone will not be able to receive any alerts from B.C. provincial departments, including health and safety.
Hoping some thought to thousands of citizens like me will come up at a planning meeting.
Hoping some thought to 1 ,000s of citizens like me to will come up at a planning meeting.
Kim Hayek, Maple Ridge
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• READ MORE: Extended quarantine ‘grim’ for retirement residence
• READ MORE: B.C. alert phone text system lags behind other provinces
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