Will B.C.'s vaccine mandate cause hospital staffing shortages? Officials preparing for possibility
There are concerns that B.C.'s vaccination mandate for health-care facilities will prompt many vaccine-hesitant workers to abandon their posts in the midst of the pandemic – and officials are bracing for that possibility.
Health Minister Adrian Dix said the government is reviewing every hospital in the province to determine staff vaccination rates, with an aim of boosting those numbers before the mandate takes effect on Oct. 26.
"We're preparing for the circumstances that might exist if some people of course choose not to get vaccinated and choose, effectively, not to continue to work in their jobs," Dix said Tuesday.
Officials have indicated employees who refuse to get immunized against COVID-19 for the protection of their colleagues and patients will be put on unpaid leave – and the potential for that to exacerbate existing staffing issues at health-care facilities has left some unions hesitant to support the requirement.
In a statement, the BC Nurses' Union said while it "strongly encourages" health-care workers to embrace scientifically supported vaccines, including those designed to combat COVID-19, the system can't handle an exodus of nursing staff.
"We cannot support any order which will serve to remove even a single nurse or other health-care workers from the health-care system at a time of severe crisis," the BCNU said in a statement Monday.
"Nurses and other health-care professionals are forced to deliver patient care in dire conditions all too often while battling two public health emergencies on the frontlines," the union added, referring to the province's deadly and ongoing overdose crisis.
Earlier this month, a 70-year-old woman died in a hospital waiting room in Kamloops after waiting six hours to be treated for stomach pain – just one example of the impact staffing shortages have had on the health-care system.
The BCNU represents some 48,000 nurses across the province, and provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry has estimated that roughly 10 per cent of them have yet to be immunized. If a significant portion of them continue to refuse after the mandate is implemented, it could have a major impact on the system.
Asked about those concerns, Dix acknowledged the implementation of B.C.'s mandate will pose "challenges," but noted that COVID-19 outbreaks have also caused serious staffing issues in hospitals and health-care facilities, particularly when they keep workers off the job for any significant period of time.
As of Tuesday afternoon, there were 24 active outbreaks across the province's health-care system, including at Chilliwack General Hospital, Fort St. John Hospital and Kootenay Boundary Regional Hospital.
The latest outbreak, at the Westminster House long-term care home in Surrey, has left three staff members infected so far, according to Fraser Health.
"Reducing outbreaks and ensuring everyone in the system is working has a positive effect," Dix said. "Like a lot of things in this pandemic, what we're talking about is difficult, but necessary."
Officials have said there will be exemptions to the mandate for religious and medical reasons, which will be determined by the province on a case-by-case basis.
With files from CTV News Vancouver's Travis Prasad
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
Toxic testing standoff: Family leaves house over air quality
A Sherwood Park family says their new house is uninhabitable. The McNaughton's say they were forced to leave the house after living there for only a week because contaminants inside made it difficult to breathe.
Decoy bear used to catch man who illegally killed a grizzly, B.C. conservation officers say
A man has been handed a lengthy hunting ban and fined thousands of dollars for illegally killing a grizzly bear, B.C. conservation officers say.
B.C. seeks ban on public drug use, dialing back decriminalization
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.
OPP responds to apparent video of officer supporting anti-Trudeau government protestors
The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) says it's investigating an interaction between a uniformed officer and anti-Trudeau government protestors after a video circulated on social media.
An emergency slide falls off a Delta Air Lines plane, forcing pilots to return to JFK in New York
An emergency slide fell off a Delta Air Lines jetliner shortly after takeoff Friday from New York, and pilots who felt a vibration in the plane circled back to land safely at JFK Airport.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
Last letters of pioneering climber who died on Everest reveal dark side of mountaineering
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
Loud boom in Hamilton caused by propane tank, police say
A loud explosion was heard across Hamilton on Friday after a propane tank was accidentally destroyed and detonated at a local scrap metal yard, police say.