Local hospitals adjust to COVID-19 vaccine mandate, premier asks hospital CEOs thoughts on policy
As Premier Doug Ford awaits the response from hospital CEOs across Ontario regarding their thoughts on a vaccine policy for staff, local hospitals are adjusting to the mandate already implemented.
The mandatory COVID-19 vaccine policy went into effect for Waterloo Region and Wellington County hospitals on Wednesday, resulting in hundreds of staff being placed on unpaid leaves.
Grand River Hospital in Kitchener initially put 170 staff and physicians on leave, but CEO Ron Gagnon says that number has since dropped to 124.
“It shows you the impact of having this policy, because those numbers continue to come down,” he said. “Yesterday there was even some of that group who have now stepped forward and are getting their first vaccination, so that’s great.”
Over at St. Mary’s in Kitchener, 27 staff are on unpaid leave, 51 at Cambridge Memorial, and 31 at Guelph General.
“It made me feel very sad,” said Dr. Nicola Mercer, Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph’s Medical Officer of Health. “These are good, well-paying jobs, and for people who have often been in these institutions for some time.”
On Friday, Ford issued a letter to hospital CEO’s asking their input on the policies, which are not province-wide.
“I’m going to continue to preach that I want every single health care worker to get vaccinated,” he said. “People have to look at the ramifications down the road, where are we going to be in two or three months when they’re short tens of thousands of people, nurses, and doctors?”
Gagnon says the shortage of workers has led to one less operating room at Grand River.
“We have come down one operating room,” he said. “We were operating one additional room compared to what we normally do, so we are back to our normal.
“I continue to be 100 per cent confident we are following the right approach when it comes to protecting our staff, protecting our community, and protecting our patients.”
Ford is asking all hospitals to respond to his letter by next Tuesday.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Video shows suspect setting Toronto-area barbershop on fire
Video of a suspect lighting a Richmond Hill barbershop on fire earlier this week has been released by police.
'I have the will to live': N.B. woman needs double lung transplant
A New Brunswick woman suffering from sarcoidosis, a disease that limits your lung capacity, is in need of a double lung transplant.
The kids from 'Mrs. Doubtfire are all SUPER grown up now, and we're not OK
The adorable trio of child actors from the 1993 classic comedy 'Mrs. Doubtfire,' which starred the late and great Robin Williams, are all grown up and looking back on their seminal time together.
Police officer hit by driver of fleeing vehicle in Toronto
York Regional Police say they are continuing to search for a suspect in an auto theft investigation who was captured on video running over a police officer in Toronto last month.
Boeing is on the verge of launching astronauts aboard new capsule, the newest entry to space travel
It’s the first flight of Boeing’s Starliner capsule with a crew on board, a pair of NASA pilots who will check out the spacecraft during the test drive and a weeklong stay at the space station.
Britney Spears 'home and safe' after paramedics responded to an incident at the Chateau Marmont, source tells CNN
A source close to singer Britney Spears tells CNN that the pop star is 'home and safe' after she had a 'major fight' with her boyfriend on Wednesday night at the Chateau Marmont in West Hollywood.
Suter scores late goal, clinches series for Canucks
Pius Suter scored with 1:39 left and the Vancouver Canucks advanced to the second round of the NHL playoffs with a 1-0 victory over the Nashville Predators on Friday night in Game 6.
A Chinese driver is praised for helping reduce casualties in a highway collapse that killed 48
A Chinese truck driver was praised in local media Saturday for parking his vehicle across a highway and preventing more cars from tumbling down a slope after a section of the road in the country's mountainous south collapsed and killed at least 48 people.
TD worst-case scenario more likely after drug money laundering allegations: analyst
TD Bank Group could be hit with more severe penalties than previously expected, says a banking analyst after a report that the investigation it faces in the U.S. is tied to laundering illicit fentanyl profits.