By Chris Brown

AHS to require all staff to be vaccinated by Oct. 31

Aug 31, 2021 | 3:21 PM

Alberta Health Services says all employees and contracted health-care providers including physicians and other frontline healthcare workers will need to be fully immunized against COVID-19 by Oct. 31.

Dr. Verna Yiu, president and CEO of Alberta Health Services, says the measure is required to protect vulnerable and immunocompromised Albertans and anyone who visits health-cares sites.

As well, said Yiu, it’s necessary to help protect vital frontline health-care workers and maintain a safe environment for patients and clients.

“Immunization against COVID-19 is the most effective means to prevent the spread of COVID-19, to prevent outbreaks, to preserve workforce capacity to support the health-care system and to protect our workers, patients, visitors and others accessing AHS sites,” said Yiu.

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She said we’ve seen the power of vaccines to bend the curve of infections, bring case numbers down protect Albertans.

The policy applies to all Alberta Health Services, Alberta Precision Labs, Carewest, CapitalCare and Covenant Health employees, members of the medical and midwifery staffs, students, and volunteers, and other persons acting on their behalf.

Yiu said the decision was made by the AHS leadership team, supported by the AHS board, and was not politically-driven in any way.

“We did make minister Shandro aware of our policy decision but at the end of the day, this is an organizational decision because we felt it was very important to really keep Albertans safe,” said Yiu.

Similar policies exist at health-care facilities in Ontario, Manitoba and B.C., and mandatory COVID immunizations are supported by groups like the Canadian Medical Association and the Alberta Medical Association.

Yiu said she believes most workers will want to get vaccinated and that exemptions will be made for legitimate reasons, either medical or on the basis of another protect grounds by the Alberta Human Rights Act.

AHS will start with education and discussion for anyone who refuses to get vaccinated without an exemption based on a valid reason. That may be escalated to an unpaid leave of absence.

Yiu said immunization requirements for frontline health-care workers are not new. Previously, staff who have not had a flu shot have been re-assigned to other areas and restricted from working.

She said strain on the health system and capacity challenges, particularly in regional and urban areas, have led to difficult decisions. Surgeries have been postponed and bed numbers have been reduced in certain areas in order to ensure beds, ICU space and frontline staff are available.