Nursing homes join call that Doug Ford make vaccines mandatory for health workers
Hit hard by infections, deaths and devastating staff shortages during the first two waves of the pandemic, nursing homes are joining the call for Premier Doug Ford to make COVID-19 vaccinations mandatory for all health-care workers.
The Ontario Long-Term Care Association cited growing concerns about the Delta variant and a fourth wave expected this fall and said a clear policy" from the provincial government is needed to ensure consistency across the health system.
The evidence is clear that the best way to protect yourself, and others, from COVID-19 and its devastating effects is to get vaccinated. Full stop," Donna Duncan, chief executive of the association representing most nursing homes in the province, said Tuesday.
Ford has rejected previous calls for mandatory vaccinations in health-care and education workers from opposition parties and several medical groups, saying he prefers a voluntary route that has seen Ontario fully vaccinate 72 per cent of the eligible population age 12 and up.
Duncan credited vaccines with dramatically" lowering cases and deaths among staff and residents in the province's nursing homes last winter and spring. In total, almost 4,000 residents died out of more than 15,000 who were infected. Almost 7,300 staff were infected and 10 died.
Implementing mandatory vaccines for health-care workers in long-term care will not only protect our residents and staff; it is likely to provide an extra measure of protection for staffing levels if there is a fourth wave," Duncan added.
The staffing in some homes was severely compromised when staff were off ill with COVID-19...we cannot have that happen again."
The hardest hit homes lost as much as 80 per cent of their staff, prompting the province to ask the federal government to send in military medical teams that later chronicled horrendous conditions that included residents left in soiled diapers for days, crying for help, malnourished, dehydrated and sometimes force-fed to the point of choking.
Ontario reported Tuesday there were three outbreaks at the province's 626 nursing homes, with four residents and 13 staff fighting active infections. There have been no deaths since Aug. 3, in contrast to first- and second-wave peaks when there were days when dozens died.
Duncan also asked the province to consult experts and make recommendations on the need for booster shots of the vaccines for residents, staff and essential caregivers, some of whom had their second dose six months ago.
Many residents have weakened immune systems that could leave them vulnerable to the more highly contagious Delta strain now dominant in Ontario.
The association said government data shows virtually all" residents have been fully vaccinated to date along with an estimated 89 per cent of staff and 91 per cent of essential caregivers.
Ontario reported 321 new cases of COVID-19 on Tuesday, with the majority in people who had not been vaccinated or were partially vaccinated.
Rob Ferguson is a Toronto-based reporter covering Ontario politics for the Star. Follow him on Twitter: @robferguson1