All regulated healthcare workers in BC need to be vaccinated by March 24, 2022
In his October 27, 2021 blog post Scott Marcinkow commented on Dr. Henry’s notice to all healthcare workers, even those working in private practice, that they will need to be vaccinated in future. You can read the post here.
On February 9, 2022, Dr. Henry announced the highlights of this new order. In summary, all regulated healthcare professionals are required to have at least one dose of vaccine by March 24, 2022. If they do, they can continue to work as long as they receive their second dose within 28-35 days after their first dose. There will be a process in place for individuals to request exemptions from the Provincial Health Office.
It appears the regulatory bodies for the health professionals will be tasked with confirming the vaccination status of their registrants and investigating non-compliance.
The list of regulated healthcare practitioners includes:
- acupuncturists
- audiologists
- chiropractic doctors (chiropractors)
- certified dental assistants
- dental hygienists
- dentists
- dental technicians
- dental therapists
- denturists
- dietitians
- hearing instrument practitioners
- massage therapists
- midwives
- naturopathic physicians (naturopaths)
- nurse practitioners
- registered nurses
- occupational therapists
- opticians
- optometrists
- pharmacists
- pharmacy technicians
- physical therapists (physiotherapists)
- physicians and surgeons
- podiatric surgeons (podiatrists)
- licensed practical nurses
- registered psychiatric nurses
- psychologists
- speech-language pathologists
- traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) practitioners
The press release can be found on the BC government website here.
The actual order will be released in the coming days. We will provide an update on the blog once that happens.
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