Ontario Health-Care Provider Pauses Mandatory COVID-19 Vaccination for Staff

A COVID-19 warning sign is seen in Niagara Falls, Ont., on July 14, 2020. The Canadian Press/Colin Perkel

Citing an “urgent need” to respond to the wave of infections caused by the Omicron variant, Niagara Health, which serves residents across the 12 municipalities in Ontario, is halting its mandatory COVID-19 vaccination program for its health-care personnel.

In a statement issued on Jan. 6, Niagara Health said Omicron was not anticipated at the time its mandatory vaccination program was ordered in October 2021. However, given the intensity of the far more transmissible variant, it made the decision to pause the program in order to focus on its response.