COVID-19 vaccine will be mandatory for healthcare workers in British Columbia

BC’s top doctor announced on Monday that COVID-19 vaccination will be mandatory for all workers in healthcare facilities across the province, and about 15,000 of BC’s most immunocompromised will receive injections reminder from this week.

The vaccination mandate goes into effect on October 26 for everyone from doctors and nurses to students, volunteers and contractors working in places ranging from hospitals to patients’ homes. Details of the order will be released soon, said Dr. Bonnie Henry, provincial health official. “It will be a condition of employment.”

She said there would be a process to review requests for medical or religious exemptions, and that these workers could be reassigned to other duties and regularly tested.

Those who choose not to be vaccinated may have to take unpaid leave, Henry said.

Only a small number of the more than 100,000 people working with patients in the province would not be vaccinated, said BC Health Minister Adrian Dix.

Henry said the province consulted with health care unions, organizations and colleges before the vaccine’s mandate was announced.

“There is a lot of support for that, recognizing the impact this virus has on us individually, but also on our health system,” she said. “This is something that has been in the works for some time.”

The Doctors of BC reports that the vaccination rate among physicians is 96 to 97 percent, while the BC Nurses Union says it is in the 80 to 90 percent for nurses, Henry said.

Workers in long-term care and assisted living facilities in British Columbia – approximately 49,000 workers – must already be immunized by October 12.

Henry reported at the time of the announcement that a similar mandate was in the works for all healthcare workers. The latest measure prevents long-term care workers from transferring to acute care facilities to avoid the vaccination mandate for homes for the aged.

The Hospital Employees Union, which includes workers in long-term care and hospitals, said on Monday that the announcement of the vaccine’s term extension was “not unexpected.”

The vast majority of healthcare workers have been vaccinated, SEH spokesperson Mike Old said. The union is asking those who have not received the vaccine to seek credible sources of information on COVID-19 vaccines and to get their questions answered.

COVID-19 vaccines have been shown to be safe and effective – “and they’ve been a game-changer in our health care system,” Old said. “We encourage all health workers to get vaccinated if they are medically capable. “

Old noted that Monday was the last day long-term care workers and people living with assistance could receive their first dose of the vaccine while meeting the October 12 deadline. The recommended minimum interval between the first and second dose is 28 days.

Henry also announced Monday that a third dose of the COVID-19 vaccine will be given to people with health conditions that compromise their immune systems – around 300,000 people in British Columbia – starting this week with around 15,000 people classified. as immunocompromised due to an organ transplant. or be treated for blood cancers. They will be contacted to arrange the shots, Henry said.

The National Advisory Committee on Immunization is reviewing the need for booster vaccines among seniors in long-term care and assisted living. “I suspect this will be the next group we look at,” Henry said, adding that she hopes the recall schedule for homes for the aged will align with the flu vaccine rollout in October.

As of Monday, 139 people were hospitalized in intensive care units across British Columbia, including 121 unvaccinated, Dix said.

More soon

[email protected]

© Colonist of the time of copyright