patients are really worried, she said, and they shouldn’t have to be.
the rnao and organizations representing doctors, teachers and provincial opposition parties are among those pressing the provincial government to make vaccination mandatory.
teacher debbie tracie said she consulted with some students about the question and they wondered what the big deal was since students already have to be vaccinated to go to school.
“we are trying to keep people safe,” she said.
stephen skoutajan of the elementary teachers’ federation of ontario said he hears from teachers who are not sure they can go back this fall.
“for teachers, this is an anxiety-inducing experience going into a school and working with marginalized families that are the most vulnerable.”
vaccination protects those who can’t be vaccinated, the rally heard.
dr. nisha thampi, an infectious disease specialist at cheo, said most children who become infected will be fine, but not all of them.
“we have seen severe disease and we tend to see it more in kids with disabilities, with
obesity and those who are immunocompromised.”
of 1,500 children hospitalized with covid-19 in canada, about 10 per cent have ended up in intensive care, she said. since the pandemic began, five of those children have died.