Public Health Orders changing for some healthcare workers

Vaccinated and non-vaccinated personal care home workers will have separate health regulations, starting Tuesday.

Manitoba's Health Minister says vaccinated care home workers will be able to work at more than one site, starting at midnight.

“Our government has fast-tracked vaccinating both personal care home residents and staff, and this new public health order recognizes that work and improves staffing flexibility for personal care homes and to allow care providers to schedule additional shifts,” Minister Heather Stefanson says in a statement.

The new orders are for those who received at least one COVID-19 dose and can work at multiple PCHs as soon as two weeks after the first dose, and the second dose within 16 weeks of the first.

This means PCH staff have eight weeks to get a second COVID-19 dose if they received only one vaccine the first week of March, but the province is not currently administering second doses. The province announced moving to administer first doses before second doses on March 4. At the time of the announcement, the province said they were honouring second dose appointments.

Staff must present printed proof of vaccination to qualify.

Those who are not vaccinated will remain under the previous regulations to work at one site.

These changes include both PCH staff and agency staff at PCHs.

“Personal care home staff on the front line provide an absolutely invaluable service to our Manitoba seniors and personal care home residents who have been hardest hit by COVID-19."

Previously. Dr. Brent Roussin has said the province was considering having separate health orders for those who were and were not vaccinated. In a Monday press conference, the doctor said all Manitobans can expect more changes to the health orders as vaccination rates change.

"As we roll out more and more vaccines we are going to start seeing the benefits of that. And as we start seeing those benefits, we will be able to loosen the restrictions moving forward," Roussin says.

He says this depends on uptake and vaccine shipments.