Local hospitals up the ante on vaccinations

REGIONAL — All five Erie St. Clair hospital organizations announced on Friday, September 3 that they will require 100 per cent vaccination cooperation for their staff and volunteers going forward, or those who remain unvaccinated will face unpaid leave or termination with cause.

The announcement came less than 10 days after the local hospitals announced that they would require everyone to be vaccinated OR submit to regular testing.

The stark rise in cases and hospitalization within Windsor-Essex, Chatham-Kent and Sarnia-Lambton in the past week has promoted the move.

The hospitals affected include Erie Shores HealthCare, Windsor Regional Hospital, Hotel-Dieu Grace Healthcare, Chatham-Kent Health Alliance and Bluewater Health.

As of August 29, 2021, Windsor-Essex had the highest number of active COVID-19 cases in Ontario - at 119 cases per 100,000 in population, compared to the Ontario average of 40.3 active cases per 100,000.

Over the same time period, Windsor-Essex also had the highest number of new COVID-19 cases in Ontario - at 101 cases per 100,000, compared to the Ontario average of 32.6 new cases per 100,000. Windsor-Essex had 16 residents hospitalized as of Friday, September 3.

In Chatham-Kent, there were 18 new cases in the community and eight people hospitalized. There were 13 active cases in Sarnia-Lambton, up two from the previous day.

Past projections have shown that cases in Sarnia-Lambton spike two to three weeks behind other areas of the region.

During the height of the third wave, Sarnia-Lambton had the highest cases in Ontario.

The vast majority of hospitalized COVID-19 patients across the area are those who are not fully vaccinated. This is consistent with the provincial trend as well.

The mandate does not include those with a legitimate medical exemption.

The timeline has yet to be confirmed, while each hospital will be releasing a deadline for staff to become fully vaccinated.