Hospital official 'disappointed' after Ontario nixes mandatory vaccinations for staff

Barrie, Ont. -

Stevenson Memorial's chief of staff has one word for the Ontario government after it elected not to make vaccinations mandatory for health-care staff: disappointment.

"Maybe I would emphasize that with disappointment again," says Dr. Barry Nathanson.

"There has been a lot of disappointment where officials have not followed science. I think Ontarians have paid a price for not following science," he adds.

On Wednesday, Premier Doug Ford announced he wouldn't make the COVID-19 vaccines mandatory for health-care workers saying that he's "not prepared to jeopardize the delivery of care to millions of Ontarians."

Several hospitals across Simcoe County established mandatory vaccination policies, some of which have had deadlines for staff to receive vaccinations come and go, which resulted in unpaid leave for dozens of health-care workers.

Since Nov. 1, nearly 40 staff with Royal Victoria Regional Health Centre, including 16 nurses, were terminated for not following the mandated policy.

Health-care staff at Stevenson Memorial who are now on unpaid leave have just over 10 days to either comply with the mandate, submit an exemption or face termination when the policy comes into effect on Nov. 15.

Dr. Nathanson believes the overall messaging from the government "would have been very helpful" and "very supportive."

"Once again, we're feeling left on our own to fend for ourselves," says Dr. Nathanson.