More than 300 employees at The Ottawa Hospital are either partially vaccinated against COVID-19 or have not received any shots, and therefore are facing the prospect of being put on unpaid leave when the hospital’s vaccine policy goes into effect on Nov. 1.
A spokesperson for the hospital confirmed to Global News on Thursday that 318 staff members received letters this week reminding them about the impending deadline for getting a full course of vaccinations.
Of those recipients, which included full-time, part-time and casual employees, 129 were staff who had received one dose of the vaccine while 189 had received no shots to date.
After the Nov. 1 deadline passes, anyone not fully vaccinated will be placed on unpaid leave, according to the hospital’s policy.
So far, 96 per cent of staff at The Ottawa Hospital are considered fully vaccinated with both doses.
“We will continue working with staff who are not fully vaccinated to ensure they have all the information they need regarding their options,” the hospital’s spokesperson said in a statement.
The news was first reported Thursday by CTV Ottawa.
Other hospitals and health-care institutions in Ottawa have already placed unvaccinated staff on leave, with most deadlines for full vaccination having passed on Oct. 15.
Montfort Hospital in Ottawa’s east end said this week that while 100 per cent of its physicians and 97.5 per cent of remaining staff are fully vaccinated, 31 people were placed on unpaid leave as a result of its vaccination policy.
There are 119 staff on unpaid leave at Bruyère, the continuing care hospital and academic health institution.
The Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario placed 47 staff members on leave, while the Queensway Carleton Hospital in the west end placed 37 employees on leave.
All hospitals in Ottawa report overall vaccination rates of more than 90 per cent among their workforces, higher than the city’s average.
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