Local hospitals waiting for provincial guidance to inform COVID-19 vaccination policy for staff
Local hospitals are awaiting guidance from the province and Ontario Hospital Association (OHA) when it comes to protocols for staff who have not received the COVID-19 vaccine.
A new policy at the University Health Network (UHN) will require employees who have not received the COVID-19 vaccine or do not wish to disclose their vaccination status to test negative for the virus at least 48 hours before showing up for their shift.
“We are implementing this to keep patients and staff as safe as we possibly can,” UHN spokesperson Gillian Howard told CTV News Toronto in a statement. “The best protection for anyone is double vaccination which has been made available to all employees of UHN.”
As for local hospitals, Windsor Regional Hospital, Erie Shores Healthcare and the Chatham-Kent Health Alliance say they are waiting to hear from the Ontario Health Association and Ministry of Health regarding their recommendations for unvaccinated staff.
“We are still awaiting the Ontario government and Ontario Hospitals Association to complete and publish their mandates/recommendations, which they had a working group complete on this very issue,” WRH said in an update to its staff. “In the meantime all WRH staff, whether vaccinated or not, are required to wear surgical masks and face shields in both clinical and non-clinical areas.”
Erie Shores Healthcare told CTV Windsor it has taken part in discussions both internally and with other Ontario hospitals but is also awaiting further guidance from the OHA and Ministry of Health.
“We continue to encourage our staff to get vaccinated and we require standard COVID screening and temperature checks for all staff, patients, and visitors, prior to entering the building, in addition to, continued PPE practices (face shields, masks, etc.),” ESHC CEO Kristin Kennedy said in a statement.
A statement from Chatham-Kent Health Alliance president and CEO Lori Marshall said the hospital is also working with the OHA and hospital partners to develop a policy that supports vaccination for hospital workers.
“This is an essential step to protect healthcare workers, patients and the broader community against COVID-19. At CKHA, all staff and physicians are asked to voluntarily report their vaccination status to the occupational health and safety department,” she said. “We continue to believe that the vaccination rate among our hospital staff and physicians remains high.”
While CKHA has not changed its policy, Marshall anticipates there may be some formal direction from the province which will inform its practice. Meanwhile, the hospital encourages staff to book a vaccine appointment.
- With files from CTV News Toronto.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'They needed people inside Air Canada:' Police announce arrests in Pearson gold heist
Police say one former and one current employee of Air Canada are among the nine suspects that are facing charges in connection with the gold heist at Pearson International Airport last year.
House admonishes ArriveCan contractor in rare parliamentary show of power
MPs enacted an extraordinary, rarely used parliamentary power on Wednesday, summonsing an ArriveCan contractor to appear before the House of Commons where he was admonished publicly and forced to provide answers to the questions MPs said he'd previously evaded.
Leafs star Auston Matthews finishes season with 69 goals
Auston Matthews won't be joining the NHL's 70-goal club this season.
Trump lawyers say Stormy Daniels refused subpoena outside a Brooklyn bar, papers left 'at her feet'
Donald Trump's legal team says it tried serving Stormy Daniels a subpoena as she arrived for an event at a bar in Brooklyn last month, but the porn actor, who is expected to be a witness at the former president's criminal trial, refused to take it and walked away.
Why drivers in Eastern Canada could see big gas price spikes, and other Canadians won't
Drivers in Eastern Canada face a big increase in gas prices because of various factors, especially the higher cost of the summer blend, industry analysts say.
Doug Ford calls on Ontario Speaker to reverse Queen's Park keffiyeh ban
Ontario Premier Doug Ford is calling on Speaker Ted Arnott to reverse a ban on keffiyehs at Queen's Park, describing the move as “needlessly” divisive.
'A living nightmare': Winnipeg woman sentenced following campaign of harassment against man after online date
A Winnipeg woman was sentenced to house arrest after a single date with a man she met online culminated in her harassing him for years, and spurred false allegations which resulted in the innocent man being arrested three times.
Woman who pressured boyfriend to kill his ex in 2000s granted absences from prison
A woman who pressured her boyfriend into killing his teenage ex more than a decade ago will be allowed to leave prison for weeks at a time.
Customers disappointed after email listing $60K Tim Hortons prize sent in error
Several Tim Horton’s customers are feeling great disappointment after being told by the company that an email stating they won a boat worth nearly $60,000 was sent in error.