Ontario needs a COVID-19 proof-of-vaccination system, medical officers tell Queen’s Park
Ontario's 34 regional medical officers of health have joined the push for a provincial vaccination certificate system that Premier Doug Ford's government is resisting as the fourth wave of COVID-19 gains momentum.
They're also seeking a provincial approach to mandating vaccines" after the recent flurry of announcements from businesses, universities, hospitals and other institutions that are implementing their own vaccination requirements, said Dr. Paul Roumeliotis, medical officer of the Eastern Ontario Health Unit and president of the Association of Local Public Health Agencies (ALPHA).
The group sent a letter outlining its concerns to Ontario's chief medical officer Dr. Kieran Moore, Roumeliotis said Thursday in an email relayed to the Star by media relations staff at his health unit.
A provincial approach to vaccination mandates is preferable to avoid a patchwork of standards, but health units are looking pooling resources to develop regional approaches in the absence of a provincial direction," he added.
One-off health units on their own is not really a viable option," he said.
Pressure for a province-wide program that businesses and organizations could use to verify whether staff and customers have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19 or had recently tested negative has also been growing.
The major banks, Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment, the Blue Jays, Air Canada, and a number of colleges and universities are among the organizations that have recently announced vaccination policies to help curb the spread of COVID-19's highly contagious Delta variant.
Ontario reported 678 new cases on Thursday, lifting the closely watched seven-day moving average to 646. Both figures are more than six times higher than those reported last Aug. 26, when just 88 new cases were reported with a weekly average of 103 and there were no vaccines available.
No new deaths were reported Thursday but 19 more Ontarians were hospitalized, bringing that total to 302. Four patients in critical condition with COVID-19 were sent to intensive care.
Opposition parties at Queen's Park have also been urging the government to implement a provincial vaccination certification system to improve safety and lower the odds that further public health restrictions or lockdowns will be needed.
One third-third of Ontarians - including children under 12 - have not been vaccinated as in-class learning is set to resume in schools after Labour Day. That raises the possibility that COVID-19 could again spread more widely, given that children born after 2009 are not yet eligible for vaccination.
There is no good reason we can't move forward in a province-wide fashion," Liberal Leader Steven Del Duca said Thursday. We need to get this right ... we actually want to produce an effective solution for dealing with the fourth wave."
The Ford government has said it is waiting for the federal government to develop an international vaccination passport that provincial businesses and organizations would be free to use domestically.
In the meantime, the province is urging people to download their vaccination information, which can be presented to any businesses or organizations requesting it.
Doug Ford's refusal to implement vaccine certificates is leaving municipalities, small businesses, and local medical officers of health to step up the fill the left by the premier's absence," said Green Leader Mike Schreiner.
It's long past time for the premier to hold a news conference where he can be asked about vaccination certificates and mandates, Del Duca said, noting Ford's most recent news conference was on July 30.
It would be really good for the premier to step up and be available."
New Democrat Leader Andrea Horwath accused Ford of being in hiding."
Dr. Isaac Bogoch, an infectious diseases specialist at the University of Toronto, said regional proof-of-vaccination certificates and rules for their use might be better than nothing, but would be far from ideal.
In a perfect world, you have to have centralized co-ordination. You don't have a piecemeal approach," said Bogoch, who is also a member of Ontario's vaccine task force.
A regional approach might have some benefit in keeping businesses open but the obvious approach is to have a co-ordinated and centralized system in place for the province."
Asked about the possibility of a local vaccination certificate system, Toronto Public Health said it continues to advocate for a province-wide vaccine certificate system."
Peel's medical officer of health said Thursday that his public health unit is exploring its powers to craft a proof-of-vaccination system. Dr. Lawrence Loh added that it would be better for the province to do that work in order to ensure consistent standards across Ontario.
Mississauga Mayor Bonnie Crombie also urged the province to come up with unified and seamless electronic system for proof of vaccination that would be accessible by mobile phone, and would include information regarding vaccination status, exemptions, and results of COVID-19 tests, without also disclosing unnecessary personal information.
But Crombie said she is prepared to work with Loh on developing a system for Peel if one is not forthcoming from the province.
Crombie said Mississauga will require employees and volunteers to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 by Oct. 31. Some exemptions will be permitted.
This is a pandemic of the unvaccinated," said Crombie, referring to the fourth wave of COVID-19 infections that has been building this summer.
Rob Ferguson is a Toronto-based reporter covering Ontario politics for the Star. Follow him on Twitter: @robferguson1
David Rider is the Star's City Hall bureau chief and a reporter covering city hall and municipal politics. Follow him on Twitter: @dmrider
Francine Kopun is a Toronto-based reporter covering city hall and municipal politics for the Star. Follow her on Twitter: @KopunF