`IT'S THE RIGHT THING TO DO'

Hospitals mandate staff vaccines

COVID-19 vaccination will be mandatory for all hospital workers in the city by Oct. 15.

Amid growing calls for mandatory vaccination of health-care workers, the city's three adult hospitals changed course Tuesday, saying they will require all staff to be fully vaccinated by Oct. 15.

“We know it's the right thing to do. It's part of our commitment to our staff, to the people we serve and to our community,” Montfort Hospital said in a statement.

The Ottawa Hospital, the city's largest, Queensway Carleton and Montfort issued statements Tuesday outlining plans to make COVID -19 vaccination mandatory for all workers.

“Patient and caregivers shouldn't have to worry about the vaccination status of the people around them when they come to QCH for care,” Queensway Carleton president CEO Dr. Andrew Falconer said.

“There are individuals in our community who are unable to get vaccinated due to their age or because of medical conditions. We provide care to some of the most vulnerable people in the region — this is the right thing to do.”

The three hospitals joined CHEO in moving beyond provincial requirements in COVID-19 vaccinations.

Last week, Ontario Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. Kieran Moore announced vaccination policies would be mandatory in hospitals. Everyone would be required to report their vaccination status, but those who were not vaccinated would still be able to come to work as long as they attended an education session on vaccines and took regular testing. At the time, Moore said hospitals were welcome to go beyond the basic provincial requirements.

On Tuesday, Moore praised The Ottawa Hospital's decision to mandate vaccination.

“The Ottawa Hospital is one of the largest academic acute care hospitals in the province and it is essential that everyone working in that environment be protected from COVID-19,” he said. “Decisions like this will ultimately help us get through the COVID -19 pandemic.”

The Ottawa Hospital said it expected “every member of our organization to receive the vaccine as it is an important step to ensuring the safety of everyone in the hospital environment.”

The policies allow a transition period and education for workers who have not yet been vaccinated.

Montfort said it would consider “all options” to enforce the policy. “After (Oct. 15), refusal of the COVID-19 vaccine will no longer be an option.”

Some have worried that moving too quickly could result in staff being fired or leaving.

The hospitals said vaccination rates were high.

At Montfort, more than 2,000 staff members are fully vaccinated. At Queensway Carleton, about 90 per cent of staff and physicians are fully vaccinated, “with more proof of immunizations rolling in every day.” At The Ottawa Hospital, more than 90 per cent of medical staff and residents and more than 85 per cent of employees have received two doses.

The Ottawa Hospital said the phased approach to mandatory vaccination would “ensure staff who have not yet been vaccinated have the necessary time to receive both doses of the vaccine.”

CHEO and children's health organizations across the province announced mandatory vaccination policies for staff, visitors and volunteers last week. About 70 per cent of patients at CHEO are ineligible for vaccination and highly vulnerable as the fourth wave driven by the Delta variant grows in Ontario. University Health Network, the province's largest hospital, also announced a mandatory vaccination policy.

There have been calls by organizations representing health workers, opposition politicians and many others to mandate vaccination for all health and education workers.

Critics say patients shouldn't have to worry about whether the nurse caring for them is fully vaccinated.