British Columbia has removed any mention of COVID-19 vaccination deadlines from its order requiring health-care professionals to report their vaccination status.
A statement issued late Monday by the Health Ministry says the Office of the Provincial Health Officer has finalized its order covering 18 categories of health-care professionals, from doctors and nurses to massage therapists, pharmacists, dentists, naturopaths and traditional medicine practitioners.
The new order says those 18 professional health colleges were told last week that they must give personal information about their registrants to the ministry.
If a member’s COVID-19 vaccination records are missing, the order requires that person to release those details to their college by March 31 and, if requested by the ministry, colleges would then have to disclose the member’s vaccination status.
The new order differs from last month’s announcement, when provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry said all regulated health professionals vaccinated with one dose before March 24 could continue to work only if they received a second dose within 35 days.
The latest statement from the Health Ministry does not list any consequences for workers who refuse to share their vaccination status by the end of the month.
The province reported 254 new cases of COVID-19 Tuesday, including 69 in the Island Health region.
It says 419 people are now hospitalized with COVID-19, including 63 in intensive care. One new death was reported in the Fraser Health region and no new health-care facility outbreaks.
Outbreaks at Amica on the Gorge and Nanaimo Seniors Village were declared over. There are six outbreaks in long-term-care facilities in the Island Health region, including at Sidney Care Home, Selkirk Seniors Village, Berwick House Gordon Head, The Heights at Mt. View, Greenwoods and Parkwood Court.
— With a file from the Times Colonist
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