With 21 days of the ultimatum planned to require the vaccination of all health workers, everything seems to indicate that the target of the Legault government will be very difficult to achieve for November 15. Fewer than 4,000 workers out of more than 22,000 have been vaccinated since the deadline was extended.
The current report, drawn up by the Ministry of Health and Social Services, seems to explain the recent comments of Prime Minister François Legault, who mentioned earlier this week the possibility of introducing the decree only in certain departments or services, such as emergency, or postpone it again. This is to prevent essential health services from being affected.
As of October 11, only 3,984 of the 22,446 health care workers not adequately vaccinated have agreed to roll up their sleeves to receive the vaccine. And of this number, it seems that the majority (2702) had already received a first dose.
Only 1,282 employees who were part of the hard core of unvaccinated health workers counted on October 11, or more than 14,600 employees, have agreed to change their minds.
Everything seems to indicate that since the sprint initiated to reach the target on November 15, the greatest advances have been made among employees who had already received a first dose.
Against values
For some experts, this early “capitulation” of the government does not bode well.
“It’s overwhelming, first on the political level, but also in terms of public health. I understand that we are in a very fragile situation, but that goes against our public health values. This means that an unvaccinated nurse in home care, or in hospital, could transmit COVID to vulnerable patients, ”lamented Roxane Borgès Da Silva, associate professor at the School of Public Health of the Montreal university.
“I understand that the priority is to treat people, but in doing so, we are now taking the risk of infecting patients,” she said.
According to the vaccination report drawn up on October 26, among the 18,462 employees of the health network still not adequately vaccinated, more than 7,500 provide direct care to patients.
Of this number, 70% received no dose, i.e. 1,700 nurses, clinical nurses and nurse practitioners, 952 nursing assistants, 449 family auxiliaries and 2,245 patient attendants. The remainder of these 7,500 employees have received a single dose to date, i.e. 668 nurses, nurse clinicians and nurse practitioners, 387 nursing assistants, 154 family auxiliaries and 907 patient attendants.
According to the Ministry of Health, all employees who have received a first dose have already obtained their appointment for the second dose.
If the rate of vaccination of health workers seemed encouraging at the start of the school year, with a peak that reached nearly 1,200 workers vaccinated per day in mid-September, and more than 1,500 doses granted on October 8, the postponement of the vaccine obligation seems to have slowed this momentum.
The number of doses administered to unvaccinated healthcare workers increased from nearly 5,700 in the week of October 3, to 3,600 the following week. As of this week, the daily number of newly vaccinated employees has fluctuated between 100 and 200 per day.
“Red flags”
Isabelle Groulx, vice-president in occupational health and safety of the Interprofessional Health Federation (FIQ), still hopes that Quebec will announce the abandonment or the postponement of the ultimatum of November 15. In his opinion, in the midst of a staff shortage, this requirement would have disastrous consequences for patient services and the retention of nursing staff. “We have already raised the red flags, we hope the Prime Minister has heard us. Postponing, it would give time to prepare contingency plans, and to avoid that other employees are forced to work mandatory overtime, and also fall into exhaustion, ”she said.
The federation, which brings together nurses, respiratory therapists and other health professionals, particularly fears the repercussions that the suspension of thousands of employees would have in January and February, during the flu season.
Report [la date limite du 15 novembre pour la vaccination du personnel de santé], it would give time to prepare contingency plans, and prevent other employees from being forced to do mandatory overtime, and also falling into exhaustion
According to Ève Dubé, anthropologist and scientific advisor at the Institut national de santé publique du Québec, polls show that the reluctance of a small percentage of healthcare workers to vaccination is the same as that noted among opponents of vaccines in general. . The first reason cited against the COVID-19 vaccine is fear of side and long-term effects of the vaccine, followed by the perception of being in good health and not needing it.