‘Statistically curious’ that 2 Ford caucus members have medical exemptions: Horwath
Posted October 4, 2021 2:25 pm.
Last Updated October 7, 2021 11:22 am.
Ontario NDP leader Andrea Horwath says it’s “statistically curious” that medical exemptions for COVID-19 vaccines are supposed to be rare, but two of the province’s 70 Progressive Conservative representatives have them.
The government announced late Friday that Lindsey Park, one of Premier Doug Ford’s caucus members, had been stripped of her parliamentary assistant role for misrepresenting her COVID-19 vaccination status.
She is staying in caucus though, with a medical exemption, making her the second, along with Scarborough Centre representative Christina Mitas.
Government House Leader Paul Calandra says while he had been under the impression until recently that Park was vaccinated, she remains an “important member of the team.”
Ontario’s official guidance on medical exemptions says “there are very few actual contraindications to available COVID-19 vaccines that would qualify as medical exemptions.”
Calandra says the two members “presumably” received a medical exemption from their medical practitioners that follows the guidelines.
In response to a CityNews inquiry about the frequency of medical exemptions, the Ministry of Health sent the following statement on Thursday.
“When it comes to the health and safety of our communities, we’re confident the overwhelming majority of Ontarians will do the right thing.
Given the small amount of medical conditions permitted, a very small group of individuals will be eligible for exemption and we anticipate most patrons will have proof of vaccination.
There are a number of deterrents in place for those who try to provide inaccurate or falsified information to a business. This can result in penalties up to $100,000 and up to a year on jail. Businesses need to confirm the name on the medical exemption matches the persons ID, and that there is information included in the paperwork that identifies the health care provider and that the individual has a medical exemption from the vaccine.
Health care professionals could also lose their license if they provide falsified information.
When the QR code and app comes into effect, we will work to integrate medical exemptions so businesses will be able to quickly scan the code upon entry in a secure manner.
Our government will continue to review data and evidence and act as necessary to limit transmission and protect the health and safety of Ontarians.”
Ontario reported 511 new cases of COVID-19 on Monday, and two new deaths.
There are 159 patients in intensive care units due to COVID-19, though not all hospitals report those statistics on the weekends.
The province has lately been breaking down the numbers of new cases and ICU occupancy by how many people are vaccinated and unvaccinated, but Health Minister Christine Elliott said that due to a technical issue that data was not yet available Monday.
More than 86 per cent of eligible Ontarians have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine.
