Man punched in the face during anti-vaccine protest outside Toronto General Hospital

Protesters hold signs outside Toronto General Hospital, Ontario, Canada, September 13, 2021 during an anti-vaccine mandate protest outside Toronto General Hospital in Toronto. REUTERS Chris Helgren Photo:

MONTREAL - Wednesday, Sept 22 Reuters - Police in the Canadian province of Quebec are searching for a man whom they suspect of punching a nurse in the face for giving his wife a COVID 19 vaccine without his consent, a police spokesman said on Wednesday.

The man confronted the female nurse in the office of a pharmacy located near Sherbrooke, about 155 kilometres 96 miles southeast ofMontreal, where she was assigned to administer vaccines, police spokesman Martin Carrier said by phone.

Our suspect entered the office and began to yell at the nurse, Carrier said.

The man appeared to be very shocked that his wife was vaccinated at the pharmacy without his authorization, hit the nurse in the face, carrier added.

Nurses in the world have faced cases of abuse, along with suffering burnout on the job in fighting COVID - 19, health advocates say.

It was not clear whether the suspect opposed vaccinations or whether his wife had in fact been inoculated at the same hospital, Carrier said.

Anti-vaccine protests across British Columbia ramped up in the run-up to the federal election this week, prompting the province of Canada to close schools. Protesters had draw ire from Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on the campaign trail for targeting hospitals and healthcare workers, and he has vowed to crack down on such actions.