A Niagara Hospital Paused Its Vaccination Policy For Staff Due To Omicron & 'Fifth Wave'

Niagara Health has paused its mandatory COVID-19 vaccination policy due to the "intensity of the fifth wave."

On Thursday, the hospital announced it needs to focus on its response urgently so unvaccinated employees will be able to work. However, they must frequently test with antigen testing and work with the Occupational Health and Safety team.

Niagara Health's mandatory vaccination program came into effect in October 2021 however at the time it was put in place, the "Omicron variant was not anticipated," according to a press release.

President and CEO Lynn Guerrier says the hospital will eventually return to the policy.

"We remain committed to a fully vaccinated workforce at our hospital, and we will proceed with the implementation at a later time to be determined."

No jobs were lost at the hospital from the policy, but four individuals were fired from Niagara Health's Long-Term Care Home located in Welland due to "the mandatory vaccination directive from the Ministry of Long-Term Care."

Hospitals across Ontario have been experiencing higher hospitalizations rate for COVID-19, which prompted the Ontario government to return to step 2.

This means the government is implementing closures, capacity limits and pausing non-emergent or non-urgent surgeries and procedures in hospitals "in order to preserve critical care and human resource capacity."

William Osler Health System, including Brampton Civic Hospital and Etobicoke General Hospital, declared a "Code Orange" this week due to staffing shortages and increased COVID-19 patients, which have taken a toll on both hospitals' capacity.