More than a dozen direct care workers resign in Manitoba over vaccine status: Shared Health

WINNIPEG — More than a dozen direct care workers have resigned after being put on unpaid leave for refusing to be vaccinated against COVID-19 or undergo regular testing, according to Shared Health.

In a statement to CTV News on Wednesday, a spokesperson for Shared Health said there are currently 151 direct care workers who are on an unpaid leave of absence related to compliance with public health orders.

“Nineteen staff initially placed on unpaid leave have since resigned, while 23 have returned to work,” the spokesperson said.

The majority of workers on unpaid leave – 98 of them – are in the Southern Health region. There are 22 in the Prairie Mountain Health Region, 12 in the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority, eight in the Interlake-Eastern Health Region, and four workers are on leave in the Northern Health Region.

The spokesperson said 36,408 direct-care workers in Manitoba have indicated they’re fully vaccinated, while 1,721 direct-care workers require testing as of Nov. 16.

The validation of voluntary disclosure forms for vaccination status continues for 2,372 staff members across the province.

“Paperwork continues to be manually entered into the system and managers remain responsible for confirming the vaccination status of staff as they arrive at work, with those whose status is not confirmed required to undergo testing,” the spokesperson said.

All workers in Manitoba who work directly with vulnerable populations must either be fully immunized or submit to testing up to three times per week.