UHN will require that unvaccinated employees test negative for COVID-19 before arriving at work
University Health Network employees who have not received a COVID-19 vaccine will soon have to test negative for the virus before showing up for work.
UHN spokesperson Gillian Howard tells CTV News Toronto that the hospital network is in the process of implementing a new policy which will establish strict testing requirements for unvaccinated employees with the hopes of having it fully in effect by Aug. 9.
Under the policy, all fulltime, part-time and causal staff will have to either disclose their vaccination status to Health Services or formally indicate that they don’t wish to disclose their vaccination status.
Howard says that employees who are unvaccinated or choose not to disclose their status will then be expected to take a rapid at-home test for COVID-19 and report the result at lest 48 hours prior to coming to work.
Those employees will also have to participate in an education session about vaccination, though an exemption to that will be made for employees who have a documented medical reason for not being vaccinated.
“We are implementing this to keep patients and staff as safe as we possibly can,” Howard said in a statement. “The best protection for anyone is double vaccination which has been made available to all employees of UHN.”
Howard said that the University Health Network has been communicating with employees about the new policy since June.
She said that between 85 and 90 per cent of all employees are vaccinated, meaning that the testing requirement will only impact a minority of its workforce.
As of July 12, about 18,000 staff had fulfilled the reporting requirement and 750 home test kits had been distributed.
UHN oversees a number of downtown hospitals, including Toronto General Hospital, Toronto Western Hospital and the Princess Margaret Cancer Centre.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'A beautiful soul': Funeral held for baby boy killed in wrong-way crash on Highway 401
A funeral was held on Wednesday for a three-month-old boy who died after being involved in a wrong-way crash on Highway 401 in Whitby last week.
'Sophisticated' cyberattacks detected on B.C. government networks, premier says
There has been a "sophisticated" cybersecurity breach detected on B.C. government networks, Premier David Eby confirmed Wednesday evening.
Police handcuff man trying to enter Drake's Toronto mansion
Toronto police say a man was taken into custody outside Drake's Bridle Path mansion Wednesday afternoon after he tried to gain access to the residence.
Biden says he will stop sending bombs and artillery shells to Israel if they launch major invasion of Rafah
U.S. President Joe Biden said for the first time Wednesday he would halt shipments of American weapons to Israel, which he acknowledged have been used to kill civilians in Gaza, if Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu orders a major invasion of the city of Rafah.
Rookie goalie Arturs Silovs to start for Canucks in Game 1 vs. Oilers
Rookie goalie Arturs Silovs will start in net for the Canucks as Vancouver kicks off a second-round series against the Edmonton Oilers Wednesday night.
Nijjar murder suspect says he had Canadian study permit in immigration firm's video
One of the Indian nationals accused of murdering British Columbia Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar says in a social media video that he received a Canadian study permit with the help of an Indian immigration consultancy.
Pfizer agrees to settle more than 10K lawsuits over Zantac cancer risk: Bloomberg News
Pfizer has agreed to settle more than 10,000 lawsuits about cancer risks related to the now discontinued heartburn drug Zantac, Bloomberg News reported on Wednesday, citing people familiar with the deal.
Quebec premier defends new museum on Quebecois nation after Indigenous criticism
Quebec Premier Francois Legault is defending his comments about a new history museum after he was accused by a prominent First Nations group of trying to erase their history.
U.S. presidential candidate RFK Jr. had a brain worm, has recovered, campaign says
Independent U.S. presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. had a parasite in his brain more than a decade ago, but has fully recovered, his campaign said, after the New York Times reported about the ailment.