iN VIDEO: After dodging the question, Kelowna-Lake Country candidate announces she is vaccinated

In the Kelowna Lake Country riding, Conservative candidate Tracy Gray is no longer trying to walk the fine line between being vaccinated and keeping it private.

“I am here today to tell you that I am vaccinated and I was before the election was called,” Gray said in a video posted to her YouTube channel, Sept. 3, where she answered questions from former Global Okanagan reporter Doris Maria Bregolisse about the issue.

After being asked if she was vaccinated in the video but before declaring her status, Gray talked about privacy and personal health while the two women walked through an apple orchard at a slow pace.

“A couple years ago, if someone was going to ask us our personal health information, it’s something that most of us thought would never happen,” she told Bregolisse.

“So why the hesitancy?” asked Bregolisse. “Wouldn’t it have been an easier political win if you had just come out and said it.”

READ MORE: Watch Kelowna-Lake Country federal candidates duke it out at virtual forum

Gray’s decision not to disclose her vaccination status right away was about “doing what’s right.”

Her announcement was also a response to her Liberal challenger Tim Krupa, who publicly challenged Gray to disclose her vaccination status last week, without naming any other candidates.

“I don’t think it’s right for someone to demand that another person declare through the media and publicly their personal health records,” Gray said.

She said Krupa’s call out was “more about politics than health” after referring to him as a “Trudeau former-staffer-turned-candidate.”

To dispel any narratives that Gray might be an anti-vaxxer, she spoke about her roles in the Conservative Party’s shadow cabinet, and said she was “extremely active” talking about vaccines and vaccine procurement.

READ MORE: MP Tracy Gray lashes out after being banned from Kelowna Pride events

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