Calgary paramedic speaking out against mandatory vaccines for healthcare workers
The COVID-19 pandemic is adding an extra level of stress to an already demanding job for paramedics in the province.
“The morale is very low, it has been since the pandemic started…I’m seeing more staff shortages that I have in my entire career,” said Gordon, whose worked as a paramedic for 12 years, the last four in Calgary.
CTV News agreed to not disclose Gordon’s last name because he says he’s worried about possible physical and online harassment from patients for speaking out against mandatory vaccines.
He said he believes this will get worse when Alberta Health Services mandates vaccines for all frontline healthcare workers by the end of October.
AHS said those who don’t comply may be placed on an unpaid leave of absence.
“November first is when I hope and pray for the public because when people are going to need an ambulance or need a doctor or need a nurse, there’s going to be far less of them because there’s going to be people that stand strong on getting a needle,” said Gordon.
Gordon has received both doses but said he has colleagues who don’t want to get vaccinated and said an employer shouldn’t force the decision.
“I’m not an anti-vaxxer, anti-masker, I’m a person that believes in choice and I believe we all have a decision we are allowed to make.”
AHS said the vast majority of healthcare workers are immunized, though it hasn’t been mandatory for employees to provide their immunization status.
AHS said those unable to because of medical reasons or a belief protected under the Alberta Human Rights Act will be reasonably accommodated.
Some doctors say COVID-19 vaccines are essential for healthcare workers.
“One of the things at least physicians swear to one another (is) to do no harm,” said intensive care physician, Dr. Darren Markland.
“We clearly know that during a pandemic spreading infections by not following the rules, specifically infection measure controls and being vaccinated, causes harm to our patients."
"Therefore I am morally obliged to do the right thing and get vaccinated especially when there’s proof behind it,” said Markland.
Markland said it’s especially important to stop the spread of preventable infections in hospitals which are caring for the frailest and immunosuppressed patients.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
Toxic testing standoff: Family leaves house over air quality
A Sherwood Park family says their new house is uninhabitable. The McNaughton's say they were forced to leave the house after living there for only a week because contaminants inside made it difficult to breathe.
Decoy bear used to catch man who illegally killed a grizzly, B.C. conservation officers say
A man has been handed a lengthy hunting ban and fined thousands of dollars for illegally killing a grizzly bear, B.C. conservation officers say.
B.C. seeks ban on public drug use, dialing back decriminalization
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.
OPP responds to apparent video of officer supporting anti-Trudeau government protestors
The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) says it's investigating an interaction between a uniformed officer and anti-Trudeau government protestors after a video circulated on social media.
An emergency slide falls off a Delta Air Lines plane, forcing pilots to return to JFK in New York
An emergency slide fell off a Delta Air Lines jetliner shortly after takeoff Friday from New York, and pilots who felt a vibration in the plane circled back to land safely at JFK Airport.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
Last letters of pioneering climber who died on Everest reveal dark side of mountaineering
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
Loud boom in Hamilton caused by propane tank, police say
A loud explosion was heard across Hamilton on Friday after a propane tank was accidentally destroyed and detonated at a local scrap metal yard, police say.