Doug Ford asked for their input on a vaccine mandate for healthcare workers and the science advisers have answered.

The Premier last week apparently asked stakeholders, including members of the COVID-19 Science Advisory Table, whether requiring all hospital workers to be immunized against the virus would worsen staff shortages and impact services.

In a statement, the group says a mandatory vaccination policy is evidence-based and would make hospital settings safer.

Doctor Peter Juni is the head of the science advisory table and says there needs to be a solid case for mandating the COVID vaccine, “and a good case is looking at the situation that we’re having with vulnerable populations that are being looked after by hospital staff. That’s patients, that’s people in long term care homes, etc.”

Doctor Juni and his colleagues note that hospital workers who are not vaccinated against COVID-19 are at greater risk of being unable to work for long periods of time if they suffer from an acute or long COVID infection. They argue that a fully vaccinated workforce would protect all patients from infection.

The letter also points to past mandates that increased uptake for influenza vaccines, as an example.