Canada’s Quebec plans health tax for residents who refuse COVID-19 vaccine -premier

People wait in line in Olympic Stadium for their coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccine as Quebec begins vaccinations for seniors in Montreal, Canada March 1, 2021. REUTERS/Christinne Muschi

Jan 11 (Reuters) – Canada’s Quebec province is working on a plan to require a “health contribution” from residents who refuse to get a COVID-19 vaccinate for non-medical reasons, Premier Francois Legault said on Tuesday.

Hospitals in Quebec are stretched after the highly transmissible Omicron coronavirus variant brought in more COVID-19 patients and took healthcare workers off their jobs.

“The vaccine is the key to fight the virus. This is why we’re looking for a health contribution for adults who refuse to be vaccinated for non-medical reasons,” Legault told reporters at a briefing.

“We need to focus our efforts on two things : getting the first, second and third doses of a vaccine and reducing our contacts especially with older people.”

Legault said even though the province has about 10% unvaccinated people, they account for about 50% of those in intensive care units.

People who cannot get vaccinated for medical reasons would be exempt under the proposal, Legault said.

Reporting by Ismail Shakil in Bengaluru; Editing by Chris Reese and Grant McCool

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