Quebec justified in expanding vaccine passport to hospital visits, experts say
Quebec’s decision to expand its vaccine passport system to include people visiting patients in hospitals drew support from ethics and legal experts on Wednesday.
“If you choose not to get vaccinated and your loved ones need you, then make a better choice,” says Vardit Ravitsky, a bioethicist who teaches at the University of Montréal and Harvard Medical School.
“Because you are putting other patients and medical staff at risk. The desire, the need to be with your loved ones is completely understandable, but it also means that you need to change your choices.”
On Tuesday, Health Minister Christian Dubé announced that those who visit the hospital will be required to show proof they have been fully vaccinated, with some exceptions.
Quebec’s vaccine passport system, the first in the country, went into effect September 1 and was introduced as a measure for services deemed non-essential, such as grocery stores. bar, restaurant dining room, gymnasium and carnival.
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Last week, Premier François Legault also made it a condition for journalists to attend his press conferences, and sources told The Canadian Press that the government is considering asking for proof of vaccinations to into the legislature.
The passport measure has drawn criticism and sparked protests across the province in recent months. But a legal expert says the passport system seems to make sense, given the current pandemic situation and the data showing the vaccine’s effectiveness.
Pearl Eliadis, a Montreal-based human rights lawyer and adjunct professor at McGill University, said extending vaccine passports for people visiting patients in the hospital may cause initial concern, but her chances of a successful court challenge are limited.
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She said a court would likely consider it a reasonable measure, as long as it could be shown to be reasonable and “acceptable in democratic societies.”
“It was the test,” she said in an interview. “It will largely depend on the epidemiological data on the effects of the vaccine. And right now, we have a lot of strong evidence that it is, in fact, extremely effective.”
Ravitsky said using passports would allow safe access to hospitals, which were severely restricted during previous pandemics. She says having family around a sick loved one is an important element of healing.
“We saw that in the first wave when hospitals were closed and patients were alone, and there were no visitors, the impact on real patient care,” she said in an interview. bad. “Not only is it “Oh, I want to see my grandmother or I want to be with my brother,” but the patient needs this too.”
However, the government needs to be careful in distinguishing people who cannot be vaccinated for medical reasons from those who simply don’t, Ravitsky said. She said those who cannot be vaccinated for medical reasons need to be covered by the government’s exception when visiting patients.
Meanwhile, Quebec reported 600 new COVID-19 cases on Wednesday and 3 more deaths related to the new coronavirus. The number of hospitalizations increased by seven to 178, with 71 being admitted to intensive care, an increase of three.
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Of the new cases, nearly 85 percent are not fully vaccinated, according to the Ministry of Health.
The health authority said 18,593 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine were administered on Tuesday, including more than 11,000 second doses.
The province’s Institute of Public Health said 87.8% of Quebe Cancers 12 years and older had received at least one dose of the vaccine and 82.3% were considered fully vaccinated.
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