Associations representing physicians and nurses in Canada say COVID-19 vaccinations should be mandatory for health care workers.
The Canadian Medical Association and the Canadian Nurses Association issued a joint news release this week.
With growing concerns about COVID-19 variants, the associations say mandatory vaccination of health care workers is another measure to protect patients, the health workforce, and health care system capacity.
“Throughout this pandemic, health workers have been on the front lines and were among the first to get vaccinated,” Tim Guest, president of the Canadian Nurses Association, said in the news release.
“We need to maintain this trend and ensure that we take all the necessary steps to protect our patients and, of course, protect each other.”
The associations also want government and employers to reduce barriers to accessing vaccines and improve vaccine acceptance.
They say while vaccines are readily available, there is a history of inequity within the health care system that impacts trust.
“Therefore, governments and employers must continue to support and address vaccine hesitancy and system barriers to achieving the highest rate of vaccination among the public and health workforce,” said the release.
