Ontario’s top doctor wants to end workplace vaccine policies by next month

Ontario’s top doctor wants to end workplace COVID-19 vaccination policies by early March. Dr. Kieran Moore says he’s reviewing letters of instruction sent last year to various sectors including hospitals and post-secondary institutions which required that they develop immunization policies. Most sectors were instructed to require people get regularly tested for the virus if they’re not vaccinated, but many took their policies further and required all workers to get the shots.

CHCH News Queen’s Park producer Randy Rath asked Dr. Moore what should happen to people that were fired or lost employment because they refused to get vaccinated? Dr. Moore answered, “our policy and recommendation to have an immunization policy, whether you vaccinate or get tested if they’ve gone forward and had a mandate, it’s not our direction, I would leave it up to the individual corporation to negotiate that with their workforce.”

Rath went on to ask Dr. Moore if he would feel confident that an unvaccinated person could go work in a long-term care facility now and Dr. Moore stated, “I think we’ve improved the infection and control practices significantly in long-term care. I think as we head to low-risk environments in that setting we should absolutely review all measures that have been put in play.”

Moore noted that a vaccine mandate for long-term care workers came from the minister responsible for that sector, not the chief medical officer. He says vaccination policies may no longer be necessary, because the period of highest COVID-19 risk is over, and they would ideally lift on March first. That’s when proof-of-vaccination rules are set to end for customers in businesses and other indoor settings.