UHN may force unvaccinated workers to take leaves of absence

The University Health Network says it is considering forcing unvaccinated employees to take leaves of absence.

Kevin Smith, president and CEO of the University Health Network (UHN), told CBC Toronto on Wednesday that the Toronto-based hospital group has a policy that requires its employees to have COVID-19 shots or undergo testing within 48 hours of a shift.

But UHN is weighing whether more action is needed.

"We're not done. We know that we will be continuing to consider whether we need to go further," Smith said.

At the Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, for example, he said: "We obviously need to very carefully consider: is it okay that anybody isn't vaccinated there?"

According to Smith, 92 to 94 per cent of UHN's employees are immunized.

UHN is focusing on education to encourage unvaccinated employees to get two doses of COVID-19 vaccines. The network said it will consider forced leaves of absence once all avenues have been explored to encourage staff to get vaccinated.

Smith's comments come after the Ontario government announced on Tuesday that it will require require many health and education workers to get vaccinated against the novel coronavirus virus or take regular tests.

According to the province, during July 2021, unvaccinated individuals were about eight times more likely to get infected with COVID-19 compared to those who were fully vaccinated.

Ontario must do more to protect vulnerable, doctor says

Dr. Kieran Moore, Ontario's chief medical officer of health, said this week that more must be done to protect the most vulnerable amid a drop in vaccine demand, the uptick in cases, and the expectation of a "difficult fall" given the highly contagious delta variant.

The most vulnerable include frail seniors, immunocompromised individuals and young children who are not yet eligible for vaccination,

"We must take assertive action to protect the health of all Ontarians," Moore said.

Employers in health and education will need to have policies that ask staff to disclose their vaccination status and require those who are unvaccinated to take an education session and be subject to regular tests.

Moore said a directive takes effect on Sept. 7, covering hospitals, ambulance services as well as community and home-care service providers.

It will be similar to one already in place in long-term care homes, and mirrors staff vaccination policies already introduced by some Ontario hospitals.

According to the medical officer, the directive means hospitals and home and community-care service providers must have a COVID-19 vaccination policy for employees, staff, contractors, students and volunteers. 

Ambulance services must have a COVID-19 vaccination policy for paramedics. The vaccination policy must at a minimum require these individuals to provide proof of one of three things:

• Full vaccination against COVID-19.
• A medical reason for not being vaccinated against COVID-19.
• Completion of a COVID-19 vaccination educational session.

The latest policies stop short of mandating vaccines for workers in front-line, high-risk jobs — something health worker groups and other advocates had been calling for.

Premier Doug Ford has said he is opposed to mandatory immunization policies because he believes people have a constitutional right not to take the vaccine.

UHN is affiliated with the University of Toronto and consists of Toronto General and Toronto Western Hospitals, the Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, Toronto Rehabilitation Institute and the Michener Institute of Education at UHN.