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
Several flight attendants from Pakistan have gone missing after landing in Canada
Multiple flight attendants from Pakistan International Airlines have abandoned their jobs and are believed to have sought asylum in Canada in the past year and a half, a spokesperson for the government-owned airline says.
BREAKING Ottawa public school board, 3 Toronto-area school boards launch lawsuit against social media giants
The Ottawa-Carleton District School Board and three school boards in the Toronto-area have launched legal action against social media giants, accusing them of "disrupting students' fundamental right to education."
Doctors visiting a Gaza hospital are stunned by the war's toll on Palestinian children
An international team of doctors visiting a hospital in central Gaza was prepared for the worst. But the gruesome impact Israel’s war against Hamas is having on Palestinian children still left them stunned.
Crypt near Marilyn Monroe and Hugh Hefner could fetch US$400,000 at auction
A one-space mausoleum crypt in the vicinity of Marilyn Monroe and Hugh Hefner will go on auction Saturday, when it is expected to reach between US$200,000 and $400,000.
This Toronto restaurant is no longer accepting tips. Here's how it's going
A Toronto restaurant introduced a surprising new rule that reduced the cost of a meal and raised the salaries of staff – tipping is no longer accepted.
A Nigerian woman reviewed some tomato puree online. Now she faces jail
A Nigerian woman who wrote an online review of a can of tomato puree is facing imprisonment after its manufacturer accused her of making a “malicious allegation” that damaged its business.
Premiers not being truthful about carbon tax, Trudeau says while sparks fly in Ottawa
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says Conservative premiers across the country are 'not telling the truth' when it comes to the carbon tax. Trudeau's comments came as fresh sparks were flying in Ottawa at a recalled House of Commons committee.
Far North police 'dispatch' polar bear stalking schoolyard
Police and local hunters in an Ontario Far North First Nation community have “dispatched” a polar that was showing abnormal behaviour and treating the area as a hunting ground.
What new auto insurance reforms will mean for Ontarians, if they get introduced
Ontario has among the highest rates for auto insurance premiums in Canada -- just below Alberta and Nova Scotia -- however, the introduction of an insurance reform in the provincial budget could soon lower prices.