Windsor-Essex high-risk settings to implement vaccination policies

Windsor, Ont. -

New vaccination policies for those in high-risk settings are being embraced locally with some saying it’s a major step in avoiding the introduction of new variants.

Windsor Regional Hospital CEO David Musyj says the world can’t afford a new variant of concern that is able to thwart the usefulness of the current vaccines.

“We can’t get to that point,” he says.

Which is why he supports Ontario’s new COVID-19 policies announced Tuesday. Hospitals and community care settings have been directed to have a vaccination policy in place for employees, staff, contractors, students, volunteers and ambulance services.

“In effect, we waited as long as we felt comfortable waiting to get it into place, so that’s why we implemented it when we did because it is a lot of work,” Musyj says.

A vaccination policy at high-risk settings will need to be in place no later than Sept. 7 and will require people to provide proof of full vaccination against COVID-19.

Those who do not provide proof of vaccination will be required to undertake regular antigen testing, the government says.

High-risk settings include publicly-funded school board employees, and staff in private schools as well as those in licensed child care settings.

This comes exactly three weeks before schools welcome kids back.

“To throw on them at the last minute that they need to create a policy, which I’m not quite sure what kind of guidance they’re going to get about creating this policy and also implement the policy in the short amount of time that there is, it’s a difficult task,” says Erin Roy, Ontario Secondary School Teachers' Federation District 9 president.

Post-secondary institutions, licensed retirement homes, women’s shelters and congregate group homes and day programs for adult and children’s centres will also have policies implemented.

“It’s always a challenge when the government provides a directive to do this without giving us that body, that content to go along with it so they’re leaving the onus on us to decide what that looks like,” says Hiatus House executive director Sylvie Guenther.

While many organizations already have a high number of inoculated workers, those who cannot or will not get vaccinated will be required to go through an education session about the pros and cons and vaccination as well as weekly testing.

“We were already along that path anyway and the timing I guess we’re all thinking of the same thing that this Delta variant is taking off,” Guathier says.

Across the sectors impacted by the new requirement for vaccination policies, there is broad agreement this is the right move.

“Vaccination absolutely, that’s important,” says Windsor-Essex Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario president Mario Sapgnolo. “We can’t forget about enhanced PPE. We can’t forget about cohorting.

“Could you catch COVID with the vaccine? For sure,” Musyj notes. “No vaccine is 100 per cent. But it keeps you out of the hospital, keeps you from dying, keeps you from critical care.”