Ontario Science Board Supports Mandatory COVID-19 Vaccines for Hospital Workers | The Canadian News

A group of scientific experts advising Ontario on the pandemic says requiring COVID-19 vaccines for hospital workers would reduce the risk of staff shortages because fewer employees are likely to be infected with the virus.

Ontario’s COVID-19 Scientific Advisory Board shared its written response Tuesday to Prime Minister Doug Ford’s recent call for comment on the issue.

Ford asked stakeholders last week whether requiring all hospital workers to be immunized against the virus would worsen staff shortages and affect services.

The advisory group says a mandatory vaccination policy is evidence-based and would make hospital settings safer.

They note that hospital workers who are not vaccinated against the virus are at increased risk of not being able to work for long periods of time if they suffer from an acute or prolonged COVID-19 infection.

The group also noted that early media reports on vaccine mandates indicate that a small number of healthcare workers are leaving the workforce to avoid being vaccinated.

The letter also outlines previous mandates that increased acceptance of flu vaccines and argues that confidence-building strategies can be employed to avoid losing workers.

The group also wrote that patients in Ontario hospitals are more likely to be elderly or immunosuppressed and therefore have a higher risk of COVID-19 infections. They argue that a fully vaccinated workforce would protect all patients from infection.

“Requiring hospital workers to be vaccinated is an evidence-based policy that protects Ontarians,” wrote the scientific table.

In its letter last week, Ford had asked healthcare leaders to provide information on the potential impacts of a vaccination mandate, anything else the government could do to increase acceptance of the vaccine among workers. health and if unvaccinated staff could be reassigned to unvaccinated. -Frontline roles.

He also asked hospital CEOs specifically what impact a mandatory policy would have on diagnostic procedures or elective surgeries.

Many hospitals in the province have already enacted their own mandates, going beyond the current provincial policy of vaccinating hospital staff or subjecting them to frequent testing.

Ontario reported 328 new COVID-19 cases and four deaths from the virus on Tuesday. Health Minister Christine Elliott said 223 of the infected people are either not fully vaccinated or have unknown vaccination status.

Provincial data shows that there are 159 people in intensive care due to COVID-19, including 101 patients on ventilators.

The province reported that 87 percent of residents 12 and older received one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine and 83 percent with both injections.

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