Peel Region’s top public health official is expressing his disappointment with the Ford government’s refusal to mandate vaccination for hospital workers, arguing that the decision could ultimately lead to “staffing shortages” down the line.

Premier Doug Ford announced on Wednesday that his government would not make vaccination mandatory for all hospital workers, going against the advice of both the Ontario Science Advisory Table and the Ontario Hospital Association.

In explaining the decision Ford cited concerns over staffing shortages that could “negatively impact the care patients receive.”

But during a briefing on Thursday, Peel Region’s Medical Officer of Health Dr. Lawrence Loh took issue with that argument.

“I know that staffing shortages are a challenge and I know that our hospitals partners are working, diligently to clear the backlogs but we also know that outbreaks and hospitals disrupt health-care services significantly,” he said. “The reality is that (if you are unvaccinated) you may come in contact with an infectious disease and potentially spread it to an individual who is unable to mount a strong immune response or create an outbreak that essentially shuts down part of the hospital. So, I mean, it's basically pay now or pay later.”

Ford said in a statement on Wednesday that a provincewide vaccine mandate would lead to “tens of thousands” of workers being placed on unpaid leaves, though that number has been called into question and Health Minister Christine Elliott later claimed that it was “based on the premier’s understanding” of the issue before he received feedback from hospital CEOs in recent days.

Speaking with reporters at Mississauga City Hall on Thursday, Loh called Ford’s decision not to mandate vaccination for all hospital workers disappointing given the “unequivocal” support for the policy from many local medical officers of health.

“It is unfortunate, though I am heartened that many hospitals are actually continuing forward and implementing these vaccine mandates,” he said. “It is a patient safety issue and you know a good friend of mine actually came up with an analogy recently. He said if you join the army you expect that you might be caught in the line of fire and might be caught having to go into battle. But if you work in a hospital you might expect that you will have to protect yourself from an infectious disease.”

CMA ‘disappointed’ by decision

Ford’s decision not to mandate vaccines for hospital workers came two weeks after he wrote an open letter to dozens of stakeholders seeking their input on the policy.

In a statement issued on Thursday, the Canadian Medical Association acknowledged that governments have a “dual responsibility for the safety and security of the health system.”

But it said that it was “disappointed” by Ontario’s decision and another made by the provincial government in Quebec to amend its vaccine mandate so that it only applies to new employees.

“When governments are unable to adopt every health measure necessary to protect their populations during a pandemic because it will mean that current staffing shortages will worsen, it's a mark of ongoing system failure,” CMA President Dr. Katharine Smart wrote.

Ontario's current policy allows unvaccinated health-care workers to continue to attend work so long as they participate in a rapid testing program for COVID-19.

Some hospitals, however, have implemented more stringent policies.

Last month the Hospital for Sick Children announced that it was putting 147 employees on unpaid leave for not complying with their vaccine mandate. The University Health Network also indicated that it planned to terminate 181 employees for failing to comply with a similar policy.

Meanwhile, Unity Health has given its partially vaccinated employees until today to provide proof of having received a second dose.