Ontario's top doctor says medical exemptions to COVID-19 vaccine being granted too frequently
CTV
Ontario's top public health official says that there needs to be a 'review' of the circumstances in which unvaccinated employees in some workplaces are being granted medical exemptions.
Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. Kieran Moore told reporters during a news conference on Tuesday that he has heard anecdotal reports from employers with mandates suggesting that the medical exemption rate for employees is between one and two per cent.
But Moore said that medical exemptions to the COVID-19 vaccine should be limited to people who are at risk of a severe allergic reaction to one of its components or people at elevated risk of developing a rare heart condition known as myocarditis.
“If you put those calculations together we should be seeing medical exemptions of around one to five per 100,000. We are seeing a higher number reported by workers and I think it deserves a review,” he said. “Certainly we have tried to educate physicians and nurse practitioners who fill out these forms to make sure there are aware of the two major exemptions.”
Moore’s comments on Tuesday come one day after NDP Leader Andrea Horwath remarked that it was “statistically curious” for two out of the 70 Progressive Conservative MPPs to have been granted medical exemptions to remain unvaccinated, despite the party’s policy.
Police are urging caution on the roads after a pickup truck driver was injured trying to pass a transport truck early in the morning Feb. 18 on Highway 17 near Bruce Mines.
Industry Minister Melanie Joly insists the federal government will move quickly on implementing its new five-pillar defence industrial strategy, despite the delays in producing the plan in the first place.
A second federal union has filed a legal challenge to the federal government’s new return-to-office mandate for public servants, saying the government is “imposing significant workplace changes” in the middle of contract negotiations.
Police have charged eight people following a two-year investigation into drug trafficking activity in Fort McMurray, Edmonton and lower mainland B.C.
Calgary police have laid charges against a 48-year-old woman in connection with a hit-and-run involving a 16-year-old boy last year.
The federal government announced a new suite of measures it says will support law enforcement in 'detecting and disrupting extortion' in communities around Canada, including Peel Region.
The Canada Border Services Agency has launched investigations into 296 people following referrals from B.C.’s Extortion Task Force, a significant jump from the 111 foreign nationals identified in January.
A Montreal hair salon has been ordered to pay $500 to a customer who claimed the company’s booking system is discriminatory.
The Ontario Provincial Police charged a suspect with impaired driving after stopping a pickup truck in West Nipissing for not cleaning the snow from the rear window.
As many seniors' homes continue to close in Quebec, the Regroupement québécois des résidences pour aînés (RQRA) is warning about a lack of funding for these facilities.
St. Joseph’s Health Care London released the results of several independent reviews into its animal research practices, including a third-party assessment commissioned after public and political outcry over the use of dogs in cardiac studies.
An Ontario student is speaking out after she discovered she was on the hook for a $14,000 a light therapy device she later regretted purchasing.
As Manitobans deal with a wallop of wintry weather, some school divisions have made the decision to cancel classes on Thursday.