Unvaccinated COVID patients in Hamilton's ICUs leave families, doctors 'disappointed'
CBC
When Dr. Craig Ainsworth talks to the families of COVID-19 patients in Hamilton intensive care units (ICU), he says many of them are "disappointed" because their loved ones had a chance to get vaccinated but didn't.
"[They're] motivated to encourage them to get vaccinated once they get off life support, God willing," Ainsworth, Hamilton General Hospital's cardiac care unit director and an ICU doctor, told CBC Hamilton on Monday. "Everyone [hospitalized with COVID-19] in the first three waves was unvaccinated but didn't have a choice to be vaccinated because their time hadn't come up yet in terms of eligibility. This wave is completely different." Ainsworth said he's also disappointed. He said every COVID-19 ICU patient in the past month and a half has been unvaccinated and there have been no fully vaccinated patients there since the fourth wave started. This comes as people opposed to vaccine mandates and pandemic-related public health measures held numerous protests outside of hospitals across Canada on Monday. Hamilton Mayor Fred Eisenberger joined mayors from across the Greater Toronto Hamilton Area in issuing a statement strongly condemning protests outside of hospitals. "We all want this pandemic to end. While everyone has the right to protest, it does not give license to harass hospital workers and obstruct access to care," he stated in a media release. "This abhorrent behaviour will not be tolerated."More Related News