by: katherine wilton
the quebec order of nurses says it will suspend the licences of nurses who are not fully vaccinated against
covid-19.
among its 80,500 nurses, 4,338 are not adequately vaccinated, including 2,807 not vaccinated at all and 1,531 who have had one dose, said luc mathieu, president of the order.
the vaccination status of 5,716 other nurses has not yet been verified, he told radio-canada in an interview. those nurses will not be suspended until the order confirms their status.
roughly 15,000 health-care workers who are not fully vaccinated
will be suspended
without pay starting friday, health minister christian dubé has warned.
mathieu said nurses have an obligation to protect the public, and getting vaccinated is the best way to prevent the spread of covid-19. the suspensions and loss of salary will be enforced until the nurses provide proof that they’re adequately vaccinated.
“they will have to live with the impact of not being vaccinated on time,” he said.
the decision to suspend nursing licences was made friday after the order met with officials from the health department. mathieu has warned ministry officials that suspending nurses could lead to disruptions in service to patients.