Both the Kingston Health Sciences Centre (KHSC) and Providence Care announced on Tuesday that by late October, all employees, volunteers, and students working at their institutions must be vaccinated against COVID-19.
The province set a deadline for Ontario hospitals to have a vaccine policy in place on Tuesday.
Although KHSC had previously stated that it would not be enforcing vaccines for its employees, the hospital organization altered its mind on Tuesday, enacting a harsher policy that requires all employees to receive their first dosage by Sept. 21 and their second shot by Oct. 22.
Providence Care will also require anyone working at Providence Care Hospital, Providence Manor, Providence Transitional Care Centre and any of Providence Care’s community-based mental health and support services sites to have their first and second doses for the same dates.
“Failure to do so could ultimately lead to unpaid leaves of absences or termination,” a statement from Providence Care said.
KHSC says failure to be vaccinated would lead to disciplinary action, which could include termination.
Both hospital organizations said in the meantime, all staff who are unvaccinated will be tested routinely for COVID-19 to access local health-care sites.
Both companies claim that the vast majority of their employees are fully vaccinated, with KHSC at around 90% and Providence Care at 86 percent.
Providence Care claims that just days before the deadline, its employees were given deadlines to present proof of immunization or exemptions. All contractors and vendors working in, at, or on any Providence Care location must be properly immunized as well.
Source_ globalnews.ca
