Hamilton Health Sciences (HHS) issued 138 more termination notices on Thursday to staffers who did not comply with its COVID-19 vaccine policy.
On Wednesday, a deadline for all staff and physicians to report their vaccination status passed as of midnight.
In all, the hospital has fired 178 workers under the policy with 40 others having been dismissed in December.
All staff are now required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 with some “limited exceptions.”
“Each of these individuals has been provided ample time to comply with the policy and have decided against doing so,” HHS said in a statement.
Affected staffers were warned through notices sent out by the network in early December 2021. The messages outlined how employees could retain their jobs by getting a second dose on or before Jan. 12 and becoming fully vaccinated by Jan. 26.
As of Friday, the network says less than five workers have a medical exemption and 169 were reported to have declined vaccination.
“These individuals worked in both clinical and non-clinical roles across our hospital,” the hospital’s statement said
“More than 60 per cent were part-time or casual. The impact of their departure has been planned for in order to minimize any disruption to hospital services.”
The president of the Ontario Council of Hospital Unions (OCHU-CUPE) told Global News he believes the firings will be overturned in a challenge.
“I’m pretty confident that while people may not be able to work during the pandemic if they’re unvaccinated, the legal action of terminating them will not be upheld by arbitration,” Michael Hurley told 900 CHML’s Good Morning Hamilton.
A majority of staff and physicians at both of the city’s networks are reported to be fully vaccinated with HHS saying 98 per cent of its 13,521 workers confirmed that status.
St. Joe’s reported the same number (98 per cent) among its 5,849 staffers with 64 people either declining the shots or not responding to the agency’s queries.
Just six have been approved for medical exemptions, and less than five have been given an unpaid leave of absence.
The network has yet to terminate anyone for not being vaccinated.
Hamilton hospitals reporting 'slight' decline in admissions amid current wave
Despite reporting a slight decline in COVID-19 hospitalizations over the last two weeks, intensive care capacities in Hamilton remain over 100 per cent as of Thursday.
Combined, Hamilton Health Sciences (HHS) and St. Joe’s are reporting 269 COVID patients in their care as of Jan. 27, some 46 lower than the 315 recorded two weeks ago on Jan. 14.
Overall, 38 people with COVID-19 are in the city’s intensive care units (ICUs). HHS facilities have the most ongoing cases, 191 and 25 in ICUs.
The HHS network’s executive vice president and chief operating officer told staff in a town hall on Thursday that the overall adult occupancy remains the “greatest pressure” for the operation.
“As an aggregate number, it’s at 108 per cent, but if we were to look at the Juravinski today, it’s 119 per cent,” said Sharon Pierson.
“West Lincoln is feeling inordinate pressures as well, around 108 per cent, and the general not too far behind.”
Adult ICU occupancy at HHS is at 97 per cent as of Thursday.
Ontario reported 3,645 in hospital with COVID-19 as of Thursday, with 599 in ICUs.
As of Thursday, both of the city’s networks continue to see a drop in the number of staffers isolating for COVID-19. Combined, both HHS and St. Joe’s have about 430 in the protocol.
On Jan. 17, the two reported over 900, with HHS recording 634 isolating.
Outbreaks also appear to be subsiding with half as many compared with 10 days ago.
Both networks have just eight ongoing surges tied to 35 combined cases, 32 of which involve patients.
Last Friday, both HHS and St. Joe’s had 16 outbreaks tied to a combined 155 patients.
Hamilton reporting 59 institutional COVID outbreaks
The number of overall institutional COVID-19 outbreaks in Hamilton continues to decline, moving to 59 as of Thursday connected to about 1,300 total cases.
Just over 900 people are a part of 31 surges in homes containing seniors as of Jan. 27.
About 740 cases are at 21 long-term care homes (LTCH) and 184 in 10 retirement homes.
Over half of the estimated 925 cases in the homes are with health-care workers, with about 380 in LTCHs.
The city’s largest outbreak is at the Heritage Green Nursing home, which has 110 cases as of Jan. 27 with 61 tied to residents.
Hamilton public health added three more COVID-related deaths to move the city’s two-year pandemic total to 471.
The city has been recording an average of about two deaths per day since Jan. 14.
So far the city has posted 45 COVID-related deaths to its online dashboard since the start of January.