Fully vaccinated Toronto nurse fears losing his job over getting the wrong vaccine – CBC

‘I’m not against the vaccine policy. I fully support it,’ says nurse vaccinated with Sputnik V in Russia

Sep 14, 2021

At Toronto General Hospital’s intensive care unit, Denis Varaka nursed the sickest COVID-19 patients back to health during the height of the pandemic. But he now fears he will lose his job because he received two shots of the wrong vaccine.

The registered nurse is fully vaccinated — but with two doses of Russia’s Sputnik V.

Russia’s vaccine has been administered to millions of people worldwide but has yet to be officially approved by the World Health Organization (WHO) or Health Canada.

Toronto’s University Health Network (UHN), which includes Toronto General Hospital, has mandated that all employees be fully vaccinated, but Varaka said he’s been told by his employer that his two doses don’t count.

“I was shocked,” said Varaka, 43, when he first realized a few weeks ago he might lose his nursing position.

“I did not believe it’s happening.”

Read more: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nurse-covid-vaccine-sputnik-job-1.6122589