61 health-care workers have resigned over vaccine policy: AHS

A few dozen people have resigned over Alberta Health Services’ (AHS) COVID-19 vaccine policy, the authority says.

AHS says 61 employees–including 31 in clinical roles, 11 of which are registered nurses–have quit their jobs specifically because they were required to show proof of vaccination.

“AHS strongly encourages those staff who remain unimmunized to get their immunization as soon as they can and to address any concerns they may have with their leader or healthcare provider,” AHS said in a statement.


RELATED: AHS extends mandatory vaccine deadline


“This policy strengthens the work AHS has done throughout the pandemic to keep our hospitals and healthcare facilities safe, including mandatory use of PPE, symptom checks for all healthcare staff, visitor restrictions, Infection Prevention and Control measures, and ongoing staff education.”

To date, AHS says it has received just over 1,400 requests for medical or religious exemption, which will be reviewed ahead of next month’s deadline for staff to prove they have two doses of a COVID vaccine.


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AHS says 94 per cent of full-time and part-time AHS employees and 94 per cent of AHS physicians have submitted proof of having two doses of COVID-19 vaccine. It says 97 per cent of ICU staff are fully immunized.

About three-quarters of casual employees have submitted proof of immunization and AHS says with those employees included, the immunization status of AHS as a whole is around 90 per cent.

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