Some Ontario hospitals to ask visitors to provide proof of vaccination

Some Ontario hospitals are taking the vaccine certificate a step further and asking visitors for proof of vaccination.

Many hospitals have enforced stricter vaccine mandates than the provincial vaccine certificate program to protect patients.

University Hospital Network (UHN) in Toronto was one of the first to introduce a strict vaccine mandate for staff. Starting October 22, people hoping to visit a patient in one of their hospitals will need to provide proof of vaccination.

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Visitors to UHN must be fully vaccinated and are still required to wear a mask and pass screening checks upon arrival. A negative PCR test from within the last 48 hours can be used for visitors who are granted an exemption to the vaccine mandate.

Trillium Health Partners (THP) will soon enforce a similar rule, beginning October 25. THP goes so far as to say that a negative test result will not suffice and that they will only accept approved medical exemptions.

Hospitals under the Huron Perth Healthcare Alliance (HPHA) will also be enforcing vaccine mandates for hospital visitors. This will go into effect at these hospitals on November 1. Visitors will have to provide a photo ID and proof of vaccination.

“Our primary responsibility to those needing our hospitals for care and to our team is to provide as safe an environment as possible. Requiring full vaccination against COVID-19 is one of the best ways of achieving this,” Andrew Williams, president and CEO of HPHA, said in a statement.

These vaccine mandates do not apply to patients who are seeking urgent medical care.