COVID-19 resources for health-care providers

Guidance documents designed for the health-care sector including advice on the management of COVID-19 cases and contacts is available from the Ministry of Health.

Southeast Public Health provides institutional outbreak, case, and contact management guidance on our infection prevention and control guidelines page.

• Vaccines for COVID-19 – Public Health Agency of Canada
• COVID-19 resources – canVAX
• COVID-19 vaccines – Centre for Effective Practice (CEP)
• Common questions about COVID-19 – Immunize Canada
• Reported side effects following COVID-19 vaccination in Canada – Public Health Agency of Canada
• Adverse event following immunization reporting for health-care providers in Ontario – Public Health Ontario
• COVID-19 vaccine-relevant information and planning resources – Ontario Ministry of Health
• COVID-19 vaccines – Public Health Ontario
• Moderna COVID-19 vaccine monograph
• Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine monograph

• Updates about the status of respiratory illness cases in the Southeast Public Health region

• National Case Definition: Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) – Government of Canada
• Testing Guidelines for COVID-19 – Public Health Ontario
• COVID-19 Virus Test Requisition – Public Health Ontario

• Coronavirus disease (COVID-19): guidance documents – Public Health Agency of Canada

Maintaining a safe, clean and hygienic environment and minimizing microbial contamination of surfaces, items and equipment within the health-care environment is essential to preventing health-care associated infections (HAIs). PIDAC’s Best Practices for Environmental Cleaning for Infection Prevention and Control outlines evidence-based standards and expectations for cleanliness within the health-care environment, helping organizations maintain safe conditions for patients, staff, and visitors.

Follow your ‘terminal cleaning’ protocol for cleaning of a patient’s room after discharge, transfer or discontinuation of precautions. See Appendix 6 in the Best Practices for Environmental Cleaning for Prevention and Control of Infections in All Health Care Settings, third edition for a sample ‘terminal cleaning’ procedure.

Ensure patient rooms and clinical spaces are kept free of non-essential equipment or supplies for efficient and thorough environmental cleaning.

As per Public Health Ontario (PHO), an individual assessment of each client, patient or resident’s potential risk of transmission of microorganisms must be made by all health-care providers. Based on that risk assessment, staff may determine appropriate intervention strategies such as hand hygiene, waste management, use of personal protective equipment (PPE) and client placement. For more information see Performing a Risk Assessment Related to Routine Practices and Additional Precautions (Public Health Ontario).

Learn how to put on and take off PPE including masks, respirators, eye protection, gowns and gloves.

Specific IPAC measures include:

• Signage is displayed requesting patients with symptoms to wear a mask, perform hand hygiene upon entering the office, and practice cough etiquette.
• Performing hand hygiene before entering and after exiting the patient’s room, and after taking off and disposing of PPE.
• Instruct the patient to cough or sneeze into a tissue and clean their hands or cough into their sleeve.
• Instruct the patient to wear a surgical or procedure mask if tolerated.
• In the community office setting, patients with suspected or confirmed COVID-19 should be placed immediately in a separate room with the door closed.
• Conducting examination procedures that minimize contact with droplets or aerosols.
• Wearing appropriate PPE when caring for a patient with suspected or confirmed COVID-19.
  • Recommended PPE includes a well-fitted medical mask or fit-tested N95 respirator, eye protection, gown, and gloves.
  • Use Airborne Precautions when aerosol generating medical procedures (AGMPs) are planned.
• Ensure all staff have received proper training to put on and take off PPE. Public Health Ontario provides video demonstration of these skills.  
• Cleaning and disinfecting communal or shared equipment after use; pay attention to product contact times on the label.

• Interim IPAC measures based on respiratory virus transmission risk in health-care settings – Public Health Ontario
• Online IPAC courses – Public Health Ontario
• Post-acute COVID-19 syndrome in adults – Public Health Ontario

• Additional precautions signage and lanyard cards – Public Health Ontario
• Clinical office practice – Public Health Ontario

• COVID-19 awareness factsheets – Government of Canada
• COVID-19 information for the public – Ministry of Health

For an accessible version of a resource, please contact Southeast Public Health.