Alberta Health Services drops vaccine mandate for healthcare workers

Alberta Health Services has dropped its COVID-19 vaccine mandate as a condition for employment, effective immediately.
Late Monday afternoon, AHS issued a release announcing that AHS healthcare workers will no longer be required to be immunized for COVID-19 as a condition of employment.
That also goes for new hires and students, who won't require a jab to get a job.
The decision was based, the release said, on emerging evidence that vaccines have become "less protective against infection, due to the evolving nature of the COVID-19 virus.
It added that current evidence shows that immunizations without boosters have limited effectiveness in reducing transmission of Omicron variants of the virus.
"We continue to recommend COVID-19 immunization, including all booster doses available, to all of our healthcare workers as part of our overall approach to protect patients and one another. The safety of our patients and healthcare workers is of the utmost importance to AHS," said Mauro Chies, Interim President and CEO, AHS, in the release.
"The immunization policy was implemented to protect patients, healthcare workers and the public at a time during the pandemic when the immunization required by the policy was still effective in preventing transmission and when it was needed most to help contain the spread of COVID-19," Chies added. "This was the right policy at the time, and was based on the best evidence available to protect our staff and patients.
"Policies and procedures have had to constantly evolve during the pandemic to reflect significant changes in the virus itself and the ever-changing evidence base as we continue to protect our people and patients."
NDP RESPONDS
Late Monday afternoon, NDP health critic David Shepherd responded with an email statement describing the move as a political decision by the UCP not a clinical one.
"Anyone who is being cared for in a health facility should have the assurance that staff are vaccinated against COVID-19, among many other diseases," Shepherd said.
"It is absurd that protection against COVID-19 is being removed from the list of required vaccinations for new AHS staff. This virus has killed more than 4,600 Albertans, and patients in hospitals and long-term care facilities are most at risk.
"Health Minister Jason Copping and the UCP are pandering to an extreme anti-vaccine fringe in the party in the midst of the UCP leadership race, and putting patients and their families at risk.
"It is truly shameful that Minister Copping is validating the false and dangerous anti-vaccine statements made by UCP leadership candidates."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Author Salman Rushdie on ventilator after he was stabbed on lecture stage in New York
Salman Rushdie, whose novel 'The Satanic Verses' drew death threats from Iran's leader in the 1980s, was stabbed in the neck and abdomen Friday by a man who rushed the stage as the author was about to give a lecture in western New York.

Anne Heche legally dead, remains on life support for donor evaluation
Anne Heche remains on life support and under evaluation for organ donation after a car crash that led to her brain death, a representative for the actor said Friday.
FBI seized 'top secret' documents from Trump home
The FBI recovered documents that were labelled 'top secret' from former U.S. President Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida, according to court papers released Friday after a federal judge unsealed the warrant that authorized the unprecedented search this week.
Passengers tackle Canadian man after he became violent, tried to open plane doors mid-flight
A plane bound for Toronto has been forced to divert to Iceland after a Canadian man allegedly became violent and tried to open the aircraft door mid-air.
Canadian who sold his possessions, used up his savings to deliver aid in Ukraine makes a plea for help
Canadian Adam Oake is among volunteers delivering aid to civilians in Ukraine, but he says donations are drying up and he's issuing a plea for help.
Canadian universities earned record-high surplus revenues during COVID-19: StatCan
Canadian universities reported record-high surplus revenues in wake of the pandemic as schools took advantage of last year's strong stock market performance.
EXCLUSIVE | Woman who was stalked by police officer ex-boyfriend says justice system failed her
Despite a police misconduct probe that found a high-ranking B.C. officer had stalked and harassed his ex-girlfriend for years, a criminal investigation into the case did not result in charges.
Canada to test wastewater for polio
Canada plans to start testing wastewater for poliovirus in a number of cities “as soon as possible” following new reports of cases abroad, the Public Health Agency of Canada confirmed on Friday.
Montenegro gunman kills 10 on the street; police kill him
A man went on a shooting rampage in the streets of this western Montenegro city Friday, killing 10 people, including two children, before being shot dead by a passerby, officials said.