(Ottawa) Federal officials are adhering to the COVID-19 vaccination policy in large numbers, if not far more than the general population, according to official statistics released Wednesday night by Ottawa.
In a press release, the President of the Treasury Board, Mona Fortier, announced that as of Wednesday “99.7% of public servants have submitted their certificate” under the new Trudeau government policy which requires vaccination against COVID-19 throughout the federal public service and federally regulated transportation sectors.
In comparison, 83.7% of Canadians aged 12 and over were fully immunized in the country, according to the most recent data from the Public Health Agency of Canada, which dates back to October 29.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced on October 6 that federal officials had until October 29 to comply with the new policy. It was then specified that those who refused to disclose their vaccination status or to be fully vaccinated would be placed on unpaid administrative leave as of November 15.
“I can now report that 95% of the 268,000 federal officials have confirmed that they are fully vaccinated,” Minister Mona Fortier said Wednesday evening.
“With those who received a first dose, 98% of officials are either fully or partially vaccinated,” she added.
In Quebec, 88% of the population aged 12 and over received the two required doses of a vaccine approved in Canada against COVID-19.