One-third of fired BC’s health care workers fired for vaccine refusal were in Interior Health

If you wondered exactly how many health care workers were fired for refusing the COVID vaccine, the provincial government has produced a solid figure in response to a freedom of information request.

The BC Government says roughly 2,500 government health care workers were fired because they didn’t get their COVID vaccines in 2021.

The request, filed by “an individual,” also wanted to find out the total number of doctors and paramedics who were fired but those numbers were not provided by the government. It said the person who filed the request needs to contact the College of Physicians and Surgeons and BC Emergency Health Services for that information.

In February of last year, iNFOnews.ca cited Interior Health sources who said 895 of its employees were fired for not being vaccinated.

READ MORE: Almost 900 Interior Health employees terminated due to vaccine mandate

That amounts to 36% of the roughly 2,500 government-employed health care workers fired throughout the province, even though Interior Health only has 16% of BC’s population.

Interior Health has the second lowest vaccination rate of the province’s five health regions, behind only Northern BC.

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