A day after Premier Doug Ford ruled out mandating the COVID-19 vaccine for health-care workers, southwestern Ontario's largest hospital network confirmed it will remain mandatory for its staff.
The London Health Sciences Centre (LHSC) said Thursday it will continue to enforce the COVID-19 vaccination requirement that came into effect at its facilities last month.
"Our position that mandatory vaccination is the right thing to do for our patients, our staff, and our community is well aligned with the recommendations by the Ontario Science Table and numerous professional and medical associations including the Ontario Hospital Association, Ontario Medical Association, Canadian Medical Association, Canadian Nurses Association, and Registered Nurses' Association of Ontario," the LHSC said in a series of tweets.
The hospital network stated that vaccination against COVID-19 adds another layer of protection for everyone who enters its facilities.
"It remains a key component of our ability to deliver on the promise we made to keep all those who come to us for care, safe," said the LHSC.
Following yesterday's provincial announcement that hospitals remain autonomous in their respective COVID-19 vaccination policies, LHSC will continue to enforce our current vaccination requirement. (1/3)
— LHSC Canada (@LHSCCanada) November 4, 2021
Hospital officials announced in August the vaccine would be mandatory for all of its employees. Workers were given until October 22 to become fully vaccinated. Following the October deadline, 84 hospital staffers who did not provide proof of vaccination or exemption were terminated. That is less than one per cent of the hospital's 9,148 employees. Among those who lost their jobs for failing to comply with the vaccine mandate were 33 nurses and fewer than five doctors.
No clinical care delays were anticipated as a result of the job losses, according to hospital officials
The LHSC's decision to keep its mandatory vaccine policy in place was applauded by London's mayor.
"We appreciate your leadership on this issue, London Health Sciences Centre, as well as the incredible work being done on a daily basis by your compassionate staff. Thank you for caring," Mayor Ed Holder posted to social media.
We appreciate your leadership on this issue, @LHSCCanada, as well as the incredible work being done on a daily basis by your compassionate staff. Thank you for caring. #ldnont https://t.co/yJMtErdfCI
— Ed Holder (@ldnontmayor) November 4, 2021
Ford called mandating the vaccination for Ontario's health-care workers a "complex issue." He pointed to other provinces that enacted such a policy only to see thousands of unvaccinated workers terminated. That led to the cancellation of surgeries and diagnostic tests.
"When the impact of the potential departure of tens of thousands of health care workers is weighed against the small number of outbreaks that are currently active in Ontario’s hospitals, I am not prepared to jeopardize the delivery of care to millions of Ontarians," Ford said in a statement. "Having looked at the evidence, our government has decided to maintain its flexible approach by leaving human resourcing decisions up to individual hospitals."
Ford said he consulted with hospitals and health-care partners before making a final decision on a province-wide vaccine mandate for hospital workers.