Quebec pushes back vaccine deadline to Nov. 15 for health-care workers

Despite repeated claims that the deadline would not be pushed back, Quebec Health Minister Christian Dube announced Wednesday he is giving health-care workers 30 more days to get their two vaccine doses.

Admitting that losing thousands of workers due to the vaccine mandate will cause Quebec to "run into a wall," the minister said workers in the health-care network will now have until Nov. 15 to get their two shots to avoid being suspended without pay.

In the meantime, workers in the public system who aren't vaccinated and have direct contact with patients will have to be tested for COVID-19 three times per week before their shifts, beginning on Monday. The measure could be extended to the private network, too, according to the health minister. 

"Giving yourself a 30-day deadline is, therefore, reasonable and appropriate in the circumstances," Dubé said at a news conference Wednesday morning in Montreal, noting that the decision to postpone the deadline was a "difficult" one.

"And I have a last message for health-care workers who are not vaccinated yet: we are reaching out to you, and we sincerely hope that you will take this offer," he said.