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The expectation when it comes front-line health care workers at the North Bay Regional Health Centre, including those classified as "highest," "very high," and "high" priority, is they, too, will wait 16 weeks for their second doses of the COVID-19 vaccine, the same as the plan for the general public.
The Ontario Ministry of Health's approach to the prioritization of health care workers and the extension in early March of the interval between first and second vaccination doses from 21 days to 16 weeks due to supply issues also applies to local health care workers who have, among other front-line duties, been tasked to care for COVID-19 transfer patients from Ontario hot spots, support the investigation of community outbreaks, and perform COVID-19 testing.
See related: NBRHC critical care physician: 'The bed situation is quite grim in Ontario'
According to the North Bay Parry Sound District Health Unit, only participating long-term care home residents, high-risk retirement home residents, First Nations elder care individuals, and seniors in retirement home/congregate care settings have been administered both doses.
According to the Canadian Press, Maj.-Gen. Dany Fortin, in charge of logistics for Canada's vaccine distribution program, says if provinces follow the advice to delay second doses up to four months, there will be enough vaccine to give participating adults their first doses before Canada Day. Fortin says this scenario is only possible if there are no further production delays.
NBRHC Manager of Communications Kim McElroy tells BayToday, as of April 23, approximately 80 per cent of the hospital's staff had received the first dose of the COVID-19 Pfizer vaccine.
"As per direction from the Ministry of Health and Public Health Ontario there is a 16-week interval between doses and no staff have received their second dose," McElroy confirms.
For more on Ontario's Ethical Framework for COVID-19 Vaccine Distribution, click here.
Ministry of Health guidelines prioritize the order in which health care workers receive their doses. McElroy says NBRHC's Occupational Health team continues to offer vaccines to eligible employees while closely following Ontario’s COVID-19 vaccination plan for "both the eligibility and exceptions to the dose interval."
As of April 23, one-fifth of all North Bay Regional Health Centre staff had not received first doses.
As the prioritization guidelines apply to NBRHC on-site employees, the Ministry of Health states, for the purposes of vaccine doses, "health care worker" is defined as:
Any regulated health professionals and any staff member, contract worker, student/trainee, registered volunteer, or other essential caregivers currently working in a health care organization, including workers that are not providing direct patient care and are frequently in the patient environment. This includes cleaning staff, food services staff, information technology staff, security, research staff, and other administrative staff.
A "role and responsibility," of a health care worker is to "participate in immunization as vaccinators and recipients, counsel patients, address patient concerns and questions, and combat myths," according to the MOH.
At the same time, the MOH also "strongly recommends," COVID-19 vaccination for all health care workers but it remains voluntary. "An employer may choose to create their own policies regarding mandatory staff immunization as a protective measure for residents and patients."
Asked if staff vaccinations are compelled by NBRHC, McElroy responds, "As vaccination is voluntary, staff may decline to receive the vaccine."
Despite ongoing supply shortages, "health care workers have been identified as a priority group for COVID-19 vaccination in Ontario and in the National Advisory Committee on Immunization (NACI) recommendations."
Health care workers are prioritized based on the risk of exposure, patient populations served, and incidence of COVID-19 outbreaks. The MOH has outlined priority health sectors based on the occupational risk of exposure to COVID-19, highest likelihood of COVID-19 acquisition among healthcare workers based on outbreak data, and risk of severe disease and outcomes from COVID-19 among the patient population served.
