'Exceedingly few' Canadians will qualify for an exemption from a COVID-19 vaccine: experts
Two doctors and a lawyer agree, very few people will be able to get an exemption to avoid a vaccine.
“We expect this to be very, very few people,” says Dr Adam Kassam, President of the Ontario Medical Association.
Dr Kassam says there are two “buckets” under which Canadians can be exempted: allergic reactions or heart problems, and both are based on how the patient handled their first COVID-19 vaccine.
“There are exceedingly few people that actually have an allergic reaction,” says Dr Constance Nasello, an obstetrician and gynecologist based in Chatham, Ont.
Dr Nasello says patients would have to be allergic to polyethylene glycol (PEG), the main component in constipation medications for both children and adults.
“It also is one of the filler components in almost every pill that is on the market so its impossible to not be exposed to PEG.” Says Dr Nasello.
Dr Nasello and Dr Kassam say even if a patient suffers an allergic reaction, they can still get a second dose, under supervision from an allergist or an immunologist.
“There are immunologists and allergists who will go an entire career without seeing an allergy to, for example the PEG component of a vaccine. So we don’t expect this to be very common.” Says Dr Kassam
When it comes to the heart, Dr Kassam says patients would have to suffer from inflammation of the heart muscle or heart membrane, known as pericarditis or myocarditis.
“In those circumstances physicians may advise patients to actually delay their second dose until more is known about that specific complication.”
Getting an exemption based on religious beliefs, might also prove tricky for Canadians, according to a Canadian employement lawyer.
“Almost nobody.” Says Howard Levitt. “That's not just my view. Its the fact.”
Levitt says to get an exemption, on religious grounds, the person must be a part of an organized religion, with strict vaccine beliefs.
“Its not a matter of personal faith but an organized religion that prohibits vaccination as a serious, substantial tenet of that religion.” Says Levitt.
“And there simply are not that many religions in the world that have that as a tenet and few of them are in Canada.”
In a fact sheet, from their website, the Ontario Human Rights Commission addresses the matter of vaccine exemptions, based on creed.
It states “The OHRC’s position is that a singular belief or personal preference against vaccinations or masks does not appear to be protected on the ground of creed under the Code.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
Northern Ont. lawyer who abandoned clients in child protection cases disbarred
A North Bay, Ont., lawyer who abandoned 15 clients – many of them child protection cases – has lost his licence to practise law.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Maple Leafs fall to Bruins in Game 3, trail series 2-1
Brad Marchand scored twice, including the winner in the third period, and added an assist as the Boston Bruins downed the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-2 to take a 2-1 lead in their first-round playoff series Wednesday
Cuban government apologizes to Montreal-area family after delivering wrong body
Cuba's foreign affairs minister has apologized to a Montreal-area family after they were sent the wrong body following the death of a loved one.
'It was instant karma': Viral video captures failed theft attempt in Nanaimo, B.C.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
New Indigenous loan guarantee program a 'really big deal,' Freeland says at Toronto conference
Canada's Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland was among the 1,700 delegates attending the two-day First Nations Major Projects Coalition (FNMPC) conference that concluded Tuesday in Toronto.
'Life was not fair to him': Daughter of N.B. man exonerated of murder remembers him as a kind soul
The daughter of a New Brunswick man recently exonerated from murder, is remembering her father as somebody who, despite a wrongful conviction, never became bitter or angry.