TORONTO, Aug. 4, 2021—Ontario’s doctors are calling on the province to create a vaccination certificate that could be used by employers and private businesses such as restaurants.
The Ontario Medical Association says a government-issued certificate would be a secure and verifiable document that businesses, employers and others could rely on to know their customers, employees, colleagues and others have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19.
An OMA survey released today found that 93 per cent of Ontario doctors who responded favour some sort of COVID vaccination certificate. A vaccination certificate, often called a “passport,” could be an electronic certificate with a paper option for those without computers. It might also be acceptable for some travel purposes while the federal government develops a documentation framework for international travel. The OMA urges Ottawa to develop one as soon as possible.
“Our road to recovery includes ensuring that Ontarians feel safe to travel and to frequent restaurants, gyms and other small businesses,” said OMA President Dr. Adam Kassam.” Vaccine certificates and passports provide one of many policy levers to help with this, and provincial and federal governments have the ability to make this a reality.”
The Ontario COVID-19 Science Advisory Table said this week that vaccination certificates could be useful in reopening higher-risk settings such as indoor dining, gyms and cultural or sporting events earlier and at greater capacity. They said provincial governments may want to consider developing a common version.
The OMA says the best way to stop the spread of COVID-19, especially the highly contagious Delta variant, and prevent a resurgence of the pandemic is for everyone to get vaccinated as quickly as possible. The OMA has also taken the position that all health-care workers should be vaccinated to protect themselves, their patients and their community.
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The Ontario Medical Association represents Ontario’s 43,000 plus physicians, medical students and retired physicians, advocating for and supporting doctors while strengthening the leadership role of doctors in caring for patients. Our vision is to be the trusted voice in transforming Ontario’s health-care system.
For further information: OMA Media Relations at media@oma.org.