Unvaccinated staff at the Ottawa Hospital will be placed on unpaid leave on Nov. 1
Doctors, nurses and staff at the Ottawa Hospital have 36 days to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 or face an unpaid suspension.
In a statement to CTV News Ottawa, the Ottawa Hospital says all staff, medical staff and learners who are not fully vaccinated on Nov. 1 will be placed on an unpaid leave of absence.
On Aug. 24, the Ottawa Hospital announced all staff working in the hospital environment would need to have received their first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine by Sept. 7, and their second dose by Oct. 15.
Ottawa's largest hospital says the hospital has a duty to care for those in need at their most vulnerable time, "that is why everyone in the hospital environment is expected to receive the COVID-19 vaccine to mitigate the risk of getting COVID-19."
"To ensure the safety of our entire team and our patients and families, beginning November 1, all staff, medical staff and learners will be required to have been fully vaccinated with a WHO-approved COVID-19 vaccine as a condition of employment and/or credentialing at The Ottawa Hospital," said the Ottawa Hospital in a statement to CTV News Ottawa on Friday.
"Those who are not fully vaccinated (or do not have an approved medical and/or other exception in accordance with the Ontario Human Rights Code) will be deemed non-compliant with the COVID-19 vaccine policy and placed on an unpaid leave of absence."
Two weeks ago, the Ottawa Hospital apologized to employees whose names were mistakenly visible on a mass email to unvaccinated staff. The letter was sent to employees who declined the COVID-19 vaccination, and included an invitation to complete an educational module about COVID-19 vaccination.
The hospital did not confirm how many staff members were affected, but a source told CTV News Ottawa there were 391 names on the list.
The Kingston Health Sciences Centre has placed 136 employees on a two-week, unpaid leave for failing to comply with the hospital's COVID-19 vaccination policy.
The policy requires all staff, physicians and learners to provide proof of having received a first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, or a documented medical reason for not being vaccinated, by Sept. 22.
Ninety-five per cent of employees at the Kingston Health Sciences Centre met the first dose requirement, while fewer than 10 employees have been granted a medical exemption.
With files from CTV News Ottawa's Ted Raymond and Colton Praill
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
What Michael Cohen said on the stand in Trump hush money case
The star prosecution witness in Donald Trump's hush money trial took the stand Monday with testimony that could help shape the outcome of the first criminal case against an American president.
Western University researchers unlock potential 'cure' for ALS
New research out of London, Ont.’s Western University is shedding light on a potential cure for ALS, in which the targeting of the interaction between two proteins can halt or fully reverse the disease’s progression.
Collapsed Baltimore bridge span comes down with a boom after crews set off chain of explosives
Crews conducted a controlled demolition Monday to break down the largest remaining span of the collapsed Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore.
Police release 3D images of young child found in an Ontario river two years ago
Police have released a three-dimensional image of a young child whose remains were discovered in the Grand River in Dunnville, Ont. almost two years ago.
Kamala Harris drops F-bomb during White House live-stream
U.S. Vice-President Kamala Harris used a profanity on Monday while offering advice to young Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders about how to break through barriers.
Behind the barricades: How protesters spend their first days in a new encampment
Students in Montreal describe life in a newly erected encampment in Montreal as a whirlwind of preparations, from facing rain and a potential police crackdown to setting up a space for the exchange of ideas.
Security video caught admitted serial killer disposing of bodies in Winnipeg garbage bins
Security video caught admitted serial killer Jeremy Skibicki on multiple late-night outings, disposing of body parts in nearby garbage bins and dumpsters in the middle of the night.
Canucks' Soucy suspended 1 game, Zadorov fined $5,000 for post-game crosschecks on McDavid
A Vancouver Canucks defenceman has been suspended for a game and another was handed a hefty fine after a scrum broke out at the end of Game 3 against the Edmonton Oilers Sunday night.
'Judge Judy' Sheindlin sues for defamation over National Enquirer, InTouch Weekly stories
'Judge Judy' Sheindlin sued the parent company of the National Enquirer and InTouch Weekly on Monday for a story that she said falsely claimed that she was trying to help the Menendez brothers get a retrial after they were convicted of murdering their parents.