Prince George hospital drummers continue rally for health-care workers, COVID-19 patients

COVID-19 pandemic, the beat goes on for an Indigenous drum group that meets outside the University Hospital of Northern B.C. (UHNBC) in Prince George.Masked and at a distance, the group gathers every Monday evening to sing traditional songs and prayers as a show of support for the health-care workers and COVID-19 patients inside.It started with one Prince George man during the first wave of the pandemic and has transformed into a community affair.

Almost 700 days later, there are no plans to stop or even signs of fatigue.“We got through these two years with perseverance, unity, love, the heartbeats of the drums, and the continuation of people coming in and out of our group,” said group founder Wesley Mitchell. “We are a group with huge hearts.”“If it’s two years again or more, we will still be there.” Northern B.C.

COVID restrictions tightened again amid lagging vaccination rates Mitchell, a member of the Wet’suwet’en Nation’s Tsayu (Beaver) clan, started the tradition on March 26, 2020 after being inspired by the nightly cheer for health-care workers that spread through cities across B.C.Simply not satisfied with clanging pots and pans, he brought his drum to the hospital instead, and sang outside for 47 days in a row in rain, shine, or 32 degrees below zero.Soon, he was joined by a cast of dozens of Prince George residents and members of communities from across Northern B.C.Patients and staff who would otherwise be isolated were able to watch the group outside from hospital beds.

Some connect with the group after recovering, and many even choose to join in.Mary Carlson spent six days in UHNBC with COVID-19 in December 2020, and remembers watching and listening from her second floor window.“The only way I can describe.