[GTranslate]TORONTO – While the vaccine plan in Ontario is coming to the heart of Phase 2, mayors and doctors are urging the government to rethink the categories to be prioritized to ensure the highest possible safety for frontline workers.

The mayors of Toronto and Peel, the two regions of the province most affected by the pandemic, are calling for a reorganization of vaccine distribution. Mississauga Mayor Bonnie Crombie says vaccines must be directed at the most vulnerable people in Covid-19 hotspots while Brampton Mayor Patrick Brown tweeted about the need to vaccinate essential workers. “We must stop the spread at source – said Brown – our essential workplaces have been the starting point for Covid-19 epidemics”.

Soaring infections and intensive care now at the limit of capacity are putting pressure on the province’s health system.

Dr. Michael Warner, head of intensive care at Michael Garron Hospital, recommends vaccinating all under-50s in areas with a high rate of virus infection, perform mandatory rapid testing in crowded workplaces and make employers responsible for spreading infections in the workplace.

And among the categories not adequately protected, it includes, for example, that of teachers. At the moment, a 47-year-old teacher healthy as a fish before contracting the virus is intubated in a Toronto hospital. “We no longer have adjectives to describe how serious, traumatic and absolutely tragic this situation is – said Dr. Abdu Sharkawy of Toronto Western Hospital – teachers are not provided with adequate personal protective equipment, class sizes are too large and little or nothing has been done to address ventilation problems.” Infections in schools totalled 13,278. “We must protect our teachers- added Sharkawy – we cannot believe that schools are immune to the possibility of transmitting this virus. Our teachers need better protection, they need more dignity, more respect and they need vaccines. Otherwise, the teachers will die.”

And from today all Peel region schools remain closed for a period of two weeks: this was decided by Peel’s medical officer, Dr. Lawrence Loh. Students from Brampton, Caledon and Mississauga will move to online learning. “This closure is a necessary step to protect staff and students – Loh said – with the increase in the number of cases and the presence of variants that are cause for concern, we must keep our schools safe.”

Just a few days ago, Education Minister Stephen Lecce assured that the government had no intention of closing schools due to the increase in Covid-19 cases but only of strengthening infection prevention and control measures.

The Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario (ETFO) yesterday urged the province “to take immediate steps to ensure the safety of teachers and students, including a temporary transition from in-person to virtual learning.” “Teachers firmly believe that in-presence learning, if done safely, is to be preferred. Unfortunately, due to the Ford Government’s repeated refusal to make the necessary investments, this is simply not possible in many parts of the province. The government, school boards and public health units must take immediate action to ensure students and staff are safe.”

ETFO also urged the Ford government to start “vaccinating all essential workers right now,” including education workers. “Not doing that, with so many vaccines available in freezers, is negligent and dangerous,” Hammond said.