Hospitals brace for new vaccine rules as Hamilton expands on-site clinics to all LTCs
Ontario announced new vaccination rules just as the city expands its in-house vaccination pilot to all of Hamilton's long-term-care homes.
Hospitals, home- and community-care providers, and ambulance services must introduce vaccination policies which, at minimum, will require that workers provide proof of full COVID vaccination, a medical exemption for not being vaccinated, or the completion of an educational session about the COVID vaccine.
Anyone who does not provide proof of full vaccination must regularly take rapid antigen tests, per the policies, which are to take effect by Sept. 7.
Long-term-care homes were required to introduce similar rules in July. The new policies will apply to all workers, students and volunteers, except in ambulance services, where they only apply to paramedics. The province called the rules a bare minimum" and said that organizations can go beyond them.
Hamilton could not provide an estimate of how many local workers are unvaccinated or which sectors unvaccinated staff primarily work when reached late Tuesday afternoon.
The City's Emergency Operations Centre and senior leadership team are reviewing the information released by the province this afternoon and will use it to inform our own planning process," said an email from spokesperson Aisling Higgins.
In an email, a Hamilton Health Sciences spokesperson said work is underway" to comply with the requirements by deadline. We continue to strongly recommend that everyone within Hamilton Health Sciences be vaccinated," said Wendy Stewart.
The vaccination rate for HHS workers is unknown. Only about half of the hospital's staff and physicians have self-reported their immunization status, Stewart said. Of them, 85 per cent are fully vaccinated.
St. Joseph's Healthcare Hamilton fully supports the provincial directive for hospitals and high-risk settings to establish a COVID-19 vaccination policy," said an email from spokesperson Maria Hayes. She noted the hospital is formalizing our own requirements," with details expected in the coming days."
Hayes added that more than two-thirds of St. Joe's staff have received two shots. We are issuing a call to all health-care workers across the organization get fully vaccinated," she said.
The province said policies will also be introduced in other settings, including retirement homes and post-secondary institutions. The Ministry of Education is expected to introduce a vaccine disclosure policy for all staff in public school boards, private schools and in licensed child-care settings for the upcoming school year.
Ontario NDP Leader Andrea Horwath called the steps half measures."
No unvaccinated person should be providing health care to our most vulnerable, no unvaccinated person should be in a classroom with our kids," said the Hamilton Centre MPP.
Booster shots
Ontario also announced that it will begin offering third COVID-19 shots to some groups as early as this week.
Those eligible include residents of long-term-care, higher-risk" retirement home and First Nations eldercare lodges, as well as transplant recipients, patients with hematological cancers who are actively receiving treatment and recipients of an anti-CD20 agent.
Further details were not released, but will vary by public health unit.
On-site vaccine clinics
Hamilton had previously launched a pilot which saw vaccines administered to long-term-care staff, residents and caregivers on-site at three homes. The clinics administered more than 70 doses across St. Peter's Residence at Chedoke, St. Joseph's Villa and Macassa Lodge by Aug. 5.
This model of COVID-19 vaccination distribution will be expanded to include all long-term-care homes across the city," said public health spokesperson Jacqueline Durlov in an email, noting the process is underway.
At St. Peter's Residence at Chedoke, 14 residents and one staff received doses in their first clinic, with a second clinic expected soon," said administrator Jennifer Banks in an email. Out of the home's 257 staff, 215 are fully vaccinated, or 84 per cent. As for residents, 202 out of 207 are fully vaccinated. For caregivers, 266 out of 428 are fully vaccinated, or 62 per cent.
At Macassa Lodge, 15 residents, 12 staff and three caregivers received their shots during the pilot, Durlov said in an email. Overall, 95 per cent of residents and 84 per cent of staff are fully vaccinated, she said, noting Macassa doesn't keep vaccination rates for caregivers.
At St. Joseph's Villa, 95 per cent of residents and roughly 80 per cent of staff have been vaccinated, according to an email from chief operating officer Mieke Ewen. It's not clear if the numbers include those who've only received one dose.
At an on-site clinic in July, 28 doses were administered to residents and staff, Ewen said, noting another clinic is expected next week.
-With files from Joanna Frketich
Maria Iqbal is a Hamilton-based reporter at The Spectator covering aging. Reach her via email: miqbal@thespec.com.