Following Ontario’s COVID-19 vaccination guidelines, Kingston Health Sciences Centre (KHSC) will be mandating testing for all unvaccinated health-care workers and staff.
The provincial policy which comes into effect Sept. 7 means KHSC staff who have not provided proof of being fully vaccinated against the virus, will have to provide a negative COVID-19 test at least once every seven days.
“Like most other Ontario hospitals, Kingston Health Sciences Centre (KHSC) is exploring all available options to optimize vaccination rates. Vaccination is an effective public health measure to reduce the spread of the virus and prevent serious illness. Our current COVID-19 vaccination rate is around 90 per cent, and we continue to connect with the approximately six per cent of health-care workers who have not yet provided proof of vaccination,” said Elizabeth Bardon, incident commander for KHSC.
KHSC says failure to provide evidence of the required negative COVID-19 antigen test could prohibit staff and physicians from entering any KHSC building and their ability to work.
“As the tertiary hospital organization for southeastern Ontario, it is our ethical and professional duty to take all necessary steps to protect the most vulnerable patients in the region, their families, and our staff from COVID-19,” said Bardon.
The COVID-19 vaccination policy was put in place by Ontario’s chief medical officer of health for those working with vulnerable patients in high-risk settings.