Hastings Prince Edward Public Health
Online Bulletin for Health Care Providers June 12, 2020 From:
Dr. Alexa Caturay
Acting Medical Officer of Health
Hastings Prince Edward Public Health | COVID-19 Reporting Form Update The COVID-19 Reporting Form has been updated to support health care providers to immediately report all suspected cases of COVID-19 to HPEPH. Asymptomatic patients with no known exposures are not reportable to public health. Please review the updated form noting the changes to Exposure Information and Control Measures sections. Fully completed forms can be faxed to 613-966-1813 or emailed to cdcfax1@hpeph.ca. The current self-isolation instruction page from Public Health Ontario should be distributed to anyone who is suspected of COVID-19, including symptomatic patients and/or those with known exposures upon testing along with verbal instruction to self-isolate until lab results are received. The updated COVID-19 Reporting Form and further COVID-19 information can be found on our COVID-19 Resources for Health Care Providers page or here in print and electronic formats. | Gradual Public Health Re-opening Our clinical services at Hastings Prince Edward Public Health are gradually re-opening, and we are seeing clients by ‘appointment only’ for childhood immunizations, gonorrhea / syphilis treatments, Depo injections, and essential breastfeeding consultations. Clients can call 613-966-5500 to schedule an appointment for these services. For a detailed listing of services available and current modifications to service delivery, please visit the COVID-19 Response Service Interruptions page on our website. | Summer Travel As we enter the summer months, we expect to see increased travel of community members both within Ontario and between provinces. It is pertinent during this season that we highlight the current COVID-19 case definition that a Probable Case is a person with COVID-19 compatible symptoms AND travel to an affected area, including travel inside Canada and international travel. HPE Public Health deems “areas affected by COVID-19” as those outlined by the province to remain in Stage 1 of the province’s Re-opening Ontario strategy as of June 12, 2020, including the Durham Region, the Greater Toronto Area and Hamilton/Niagara Regions among others. Effective contact-tracing by Public Health starts with you! Please advise patients with symptoms and/or exposures to COVID-19 & household contacts to isolate pending lab results! (Asymptomatic patients with no known exposures in the last 14 days do not require isolation following testing for COVID-19.) | COVID-19 Provincial Testing Guidance Update Within the past two weeks the Ministry of Health has released two updated versions of the COVID-19 Provincial Testing Guidance Document, most recently on June 2, 2020. In these latest versions, the Ministry: - clarified facility transfer guidance, stating that “Any patient transferred between facilities (i.e. leaving one facility and entering another, even within the same multi-site organization, regardless of symptomology), should be tested upon admission to the destination facility.” (p. 3, Ministry of Health)
Please note: This excludes transfers from hospitals to long term care, retirement homes and hospices, as their results should be reported prior to transfer. - added testing guidance prior to surgical procedures based on a regional approach; if community transmission low, there is no need to test prior to surgical procedure; if not low, patients are to be tested 24 – 48 hrs prior to surgical procedure if general anesthetic and must self-isolate at least 14 days prior to the scheduled procedure. A positive COVID-19 result leads to a delay in non-urgent /emergent procedures for at least 14 days.
If post-surgical patients develop lab-confirmed COVID-19 after hospitalization and could have reasonably acquired infection in hospital and contact droplet PPE wasn’t used– hospitals must consult with IPAC / Occupational Health and may test asymptomatic staff / patients / visitors / possible contacts of the patient. - added information on contact-based testing in Long-Term Care and Retirement Homes stating that residents who develop symptoms compatible with COVID-19 should be tested as well as symptomatic / asymptomatic persons sharing the same room. If a resident tests positive for COVID-19, all staff and residents in the home should be tested.
- added information on contact-based testing in Congregate Living Settings and Institutions advising that in the event of a laboratory-confirmed case of COVID19 all staff and residents/attendees in the facility should be tested. Please note: Correctional facilities are no longer included in Congregate Living Settings.
- added information on enhanced contact-based testing in Workplaces and Community Settings; if there is one lab-confirmed COVID-19 case, close contacts of that person should be tested, if Public Health deems the setting in outbreak, all persons associated with the workplace should be tested.
| Resuming Visits in Long-Term Care and Retirement Homes The Ontario government has announced that on June 18, 2020, gradual resumption of visits to long-term care homes will begin. Stipulations for visitors include active screening, attesting to negative COVID19 testing within 2 weeks of each visit and compliance with infection control procedures. To facilitate visitors to enter the home, the home must not be in outbreak and have procedures for the resumption of visitors, including communication of these procedures to visitors, resident, staff and families as per the Ministry’s Resuming Visits in Long-Term Care Homes document. | New Admissions Begin to Long-Term Care Homes On June 10, 2020 the province approved new admissions to LTC Homes provided the receiving home is not in outbreak, the resident has tested negative within 24 hours of admission and the home is capable of completing 14 days of new-resident isolation in a room with no more than one roommate. The updated policy continues to allow for re-admissions of existing residents from hospital under the same criteria. | Public Health Teleconference for Primary Care Professionals - Mark your Calendars! Dr. Alexa Caturay, Acting Medical Officer of Health, will be holding another teleconference
- Wednesday June 17, 11:30 am – 12:00 pm
- Public Health Updates specifically for Family Physicians and Nurse Practitioners in Hastings and Prince Edward region
- Topics will include local COVID-19 epidemiology and testing information
- To join the teleconference:
Dial 1-855-453-6962,
Conference ID: 6292448# | ------------------------------------------- HPEPH is gradually reopening to the public and are presently offering services by appointment only. We remain dedicated to protecting our community by providing local HCPs and community members with new information as it becomes available. Current information on COVID-19 specifically for health care providers can be found at hpePublicHealth.ca, Ontario Ministry of Health and at publichealthontario.ca. | Contact Information: To give us your comments: kkhani@hpeph.ca To report communicable diseases:613-966-5500 x349 To report AEFI or DOPHS: Online / Fax - 613-966-1813 or CDCFAX1@hpeph.ca You have received this email at kkhani@hpeph.ca from Hastings Prince Edward Public Health as a result of a request you have made or due to a service/subscription that you are registered for. While you may discontinue your subscription to this mailing at any time by pressing the unsubscribe button below, please note that this bulletin will be used to provide important updates about infectious and communicable disease. | | | | |
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