Most staff at Ottawa's largest school board fully vaccinated, numbers show

The vast majority of employees at Ottawa's largest school board have already been fully vaccinatedagainst COVID-19, the board's data shows.

Of the nearly 12,000 employees and trustees that make up the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board (OCDSB), almost 10,000 of them or 83.5 per cent have disclosed they have received two vaccine doses, according to numbers released by the board Wednesday afternoon.

Roughly 1,600 people have not yet submitted a form indicating they had been fully vaccinated, the board said.

Only four employees or trustees have handed ina documented medical reason explaining why they haven't been immunized.

In late August,OCDSB trustees unanimously passed a motion requiringteachers and staff without medical exemptions to get their first shot by Sept. 30, with their follow-up dose as soon as medically permitted.

• Here are the noteworthy vaccine policies for Ottawa-Gatineau

Those who have not disclosed their status could include employees away on leave or casual hires who have now found work elsewhere, said board spokesperson Darcy Knoll.

The OCDSB is trying to get in touch with anyone who hasn't sent in the form, Knoll said.Employees who don't get both their shots will "at minimum" have to complete an education program and take a rapid COVID-19 test at least twice a week, he added.