Today Niagara Health shared that as of Sept. 7, we will require mandatory vaccination for new hires.
This is in addition to last week’s announcement that Niagara Health, along with the other hospitals in our region, will be implementing a mandatory vaccination policy by Sept. 7 as per provincial directive. This program will require staff, physicians, contractors, learners/students, and volunteers to provide proof of full vaccination against COVID-19 or written proof of a medical reason for not being fully vaccinated or to participate in mandatory education about the benefits of COVID-19 vaccination. Hospitals will also be required to implement regular and mandatory testing of individuals who are not fully vaccinated.
Over the past few weeks, there has been an upward trend in COVID-19 cases in our community. There are currently 136 active cases in Niagara today.
“This wave is increasingly being described as the wave of the unvaccinated,” says Dr. Johan Viljoen, Chief of Staff, Executive Vice President of Medical Affairs. “We are committed to doing everything we can to keep our patients, families and teams as safe as possible – and getting vaccinated is our best defense against this highly contagious virus.”
“As of Aug. 20, 84 per cent of our staff and physicians have been fully vaccinated,” says Flo Paladino, Executive Vice President, People and Organizational Development. “Our goal is 100% vaccination of everyone eligible at Niagara Health. Planning is underway to achieve this through our new vaccination policy and we will be sharing more details on the program in the coming weeks.”
