Physicians see increase in COVID-19 vaccine exemption requests

FILE - A health worker here prepares a dose of COVID-19 vaccine at Clalit Health Services in Jerusalem, on March 2. Ahmad Gharabli/AFP/Getty Images

Windsor, Ont. — Primary care physicians are seeing an increase in calls related to medical exemption notes for the COVID-19 vaccine.

Dr. Jessica Summerfield says it is not a coincidence, as the provincial government rolls out its vaccine certificate policy.

“These notes have to clearly state why the exemption, based on those criteria and the timeline for that exemption, whether it be a permanent status or what they timeframe would be for that exemption,” says Summerfield, who is also the president of the Essex County Medical Society.

According to the College of Physicians of Ontario, there are very few acceptable exceptions including:

“Every conversation with a patient is an opportunity for physicians to have that conversation with them about what the hesitation is what’s their reluctancy,” Summerfield tells CTV News.

According to Summerfield, the Ontario Medical Association is working on a template for physicians to work of, with exact criteria to ensure their consistency provincial-wide for such exemptions.