Just this past week, I had a positive patient’s respiratory vent blow off in my face. We are all, as a registered medical profession, in disbelief that we are not getting recognition.

Julie Sauro, who works at University Hospital in London, is among the many health-care workers frustrated at being denied a promised $4 hourly pandemic pay boost.

Thousands of health-care workers are frustrated at being left off the final list for $4 hourly pandemic pay promised by Premier Doug Ford for “heroes” on the front lines of COVID-19.

They include medical radiation technologists in hospitals who do X-rays, CT scans and MRIs in full personal protective equipment on patients with or suspected of having the highly contagious virus.

The illness has now infected at least 28,512 Ontarians, including 4,577 health-care workers. Six are included in the province’s death toll of 2,275.

“I have had to do numerous portable chest X-rays on confirmed positive COVID-19 patients,” said Julie Sauro, who works at University Hospital in London and sent a picture of herself to the Star in face shield, mask, head cover, gown and gloves.

“We go to the patient’s bedside, we lift them up and place our X-ray detector under their chest. Just this past week, I had a positive patient’s respiratory vent blow off in my face,” she added Thursday. “We are all, as a registered medical profession, in disbelief that we are not getting recognition.”

Several said it’s not just about the money, which will be paid out for 16 weeks once the province transfers funding to about 2,000 employers with eligible staff.

“The problem lies with the provincial government not recognizing us as front-line workers,” said Lynne Waytowich at Winchester District Memorial Hospital south of Ottawa.

The pandemic pay list also excludes lab technicians, pharmacists, medical residents and occupational therapists, among others, and is creating tensions given they work alongside staff who will be getting the money for 16 weeks.

“We are extremely disappointed,” said Ontario Hospital Association president Anthony Dale. “The government refuses to expand the list and is excluding approximately one-third of the hospital workforce, the majority of whom are regulated health professionals.”

“For more than 10 weeks, all hospital workers have been working extremely hard under very demanding circumstances. The government’s pandemic pay initiative should apply to all hospital workers as every single person working in hospitals today is on the front line in the war against COVID-19.”

A spokesperson for Ford said the list covers 375,000 employees, including respiratory therapists and paramedics who were added after protesting for being left off when the premier announced the program April 25.

“We wish we could do this for everybody,” said Ivana Yelich. “There’s only so much money. It will not be expanded any further.”

Others getting pandemic pay include personal support workers, nurses, cleaning and mealpreparation staff.

Across Ontario, there were 382 new confirmed and probable cases of COVID-19 as of 5 p.m. Thursday, according to a Star compilation of data from health units in the previous 24 hours, and another 29 deaths.

The number of patients in hospital with COVID-19 fell by 14 to 833, with a drop of 13 patients in intensive care to 137 with 94 on ventilators to breathe, down from 117 the previous day.

To date, a total of 20,673 Ontarians have recovered, the Ministry of Health said.

“The government refuses to expand the list and is excluding approximately one-third of the hospital workforce.”

ANTHONY DALE ONTARIO HOSPITAL ASSOCIATION PRESIDENT