Give health-care workers second dose, groups urge Ontario government

TORONTO — Thousands of health-care workers need to be prioritized for full immunization from COVID-19 as they work with patients hospitalized with the deadly virus, say groups representing them.

The Registered Nurses’ Association of Ontario, Canadian Union of Public Employees, and Service Employees International Union said Thursday they have asked the province to accelerate second doses for the workers but have received no commitment.

Health-care workers were among the first groups to be prioritized for a first dose of the shot in Ontario. However, the province later extended dosing intervals for COVID-19 shots from 21 days to four months, which means many workers are still waiting for the second dose.

“You are exposed during a 12 hour shift … to very ill patients that are COVID positive in emergency departments, in critical care units, in ICUs,” said RNAO CEO Doris Grinspun. “These patients are the sickest of the sick. One shot is not enough.” 

The request comes as the province expanded vaccine eligibility Thursday, allowing those aged 50 and older to book an appointment for a shot.

In addition, those with high-risk health conditions, and a number of employees who cannot work from home are now eligible to get the shot.

The newly eligible workers include those in the education, child-care, food and manufacturing sectors.

The president of CUPE’s Ontario Council of Hospital Unions estimates thousands of workers in those facilities still have not received their second dose. 

Requests for specific data on rates of health care worker immunization has not been provided by the government, Michael Hurley added.

“Health care workers are very challenging to replace in all professions, you would think that the government would want to take care of them,” he said. 

Ontario’s hospitals have been experiencing an extreme capacity crunch for months, a situation made worse during the third wave of COVID-19. 

Record levels of hospital admissions due to the virus have occurred, patient transfers are taking place from the Greater Toronto Area to facilities across the province, and health care workers are being flown in from across the country to help Ontario.

The Ministry of Health said Thursday that 1,964 people are hospitalized because of the novel coronavirus, with 877 in intensive care and 600 on a ventilator.

SEIU Healthcare president Sharleen Stewart criticized Premier Doug Ford’s government for not having a clear plan to fully immunize workers. 

More must be done to get the shot to staff who cannot spare time in the province’s current, confusing, vaccine queue, she said.

“How are people supposed to be getting to these vaccination sites?” Stewart said. “They cannot line up for hours because they’re so desperately needed back at the hospital. The easiest solution would be to bring it to the hospital, let the staff line up and let them get it.” 

A spokeswoman for Health Minister Christine Elliott said extending the interval between doses for up to four months has allowed Ontario to accelerate its vaccine rollout and maximize the number of people receiving protection.

“As we continue to receive more vaccines from the federal government, we may eventually be able to shorten the interval for all Ontarians,” Alex Hilkene said in a statement.

The government said Wednesday it expects 65 per cent of adults to have their first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine by the end of May.

Ontario said that 141,038 doses of a COVID-19 vaccine were administered since Wednesday’s report, for a total of more than 5.7 million.

Meanwhile, the province is reporting 3,424 new cases of COVID-19 today and 26 more deaths linked to the virus.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 6, 2021.

Shawn Jeffords, The Canadian Press