COVID-19 for Health Care Providers

Click on the links below to access up-to-date local epidemiology for the Thunder Bay District catchment area:

For provincial epidemiology, the Ministry of Health provides a daily update each day at 10:30 a.m. which includes a summary of cases and epidemiological data in Ontario.

For information related to the COVID-19 Vaccines, visit the COVID-19 Vaccines: Information for Health Care Providers page.

April 6, 2021 - Phase 2 Eligibility, Chronic health conditions, District clinics, second dose rescheduling, Homebound individuals, etc.
February 28, 2021 - Primary Care Offices in Thunder Bay – COVID-19 Vaccine Staff Eligibility
February 24, 2021 - COVID-19 Vaccine Update, Primary Care registry form, Primary Care office vaccine eligibility, Talking with Patients about COVID, and more
February 1, 2021 - COVID-19 Vaccine Update, Extension to 42 days between doses, Adverse Events of Special Interest (AESIs)

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An updated case definition from the Ministry of Health can be found on the Ministry's COVID-19 webpage. The case definitions are for surveillance purposes and are not intended to replace clinical or public health practitioner judgement.

People that meet the case definition must self-isolate and call their nearest Assessment Centre to arrange testing.

Provincial resources and guidance documents for health sectors, including long-term care, are available on the Guidance for the Health Sector webpage.

Provincial directives and memorandums for COVID-19 are also available online on the Ministry COVID-19 website. This page is home to these updates as well as other resources for Health Care Providers during COVID-19. Please bookmark and review this page regularly.

Refer to this resource from Public Health Ontario for the Preferred COVID-19 Specimen Collection Methods.

Testing Priorities

Ontario Health has set out the following guidelines for COVID-19 testing. Individuals should only seek testing at assessment centres if they are:

Showing COVID-19 symptoms;
Have been exposed to a confirmed case of the virus, as informed by the TBDHU or an exposure notification through the COVID Alert app;
A resident or work in a setting that has a COVID-19 outbreak, as identified and informed by the TBDHU; or
Eligible for testing as part of a targeted testing initiative directed by the Ministry of Health or the Ministry of Long-Term Care. This includes visitors to long-term care homes.

The Testing & Results page includes details regarding assessment centres in Thunder Bay and District Communities, including numbers to call for assessment and appointments.

Reporting Results

Health care providers who order testing must inform their patients of test results. Please direct patients to use Ontario's COVID-19 Test Results Viewer rather than calling the TBDHU.

Use the Positive COVID-19 Test Reporting Form to report any positive COVID-19 rapid antigen tests or in-house PCR COVID-19 tests to TBDHU.

Please note: Only individuals who have tested POSITIVE for COVID-19 will be contacted by the TBDHU.

All Health Care Workers must:

Be self-monitoring, regardless of travel.
Not attend work if they are sick.
Immediately don a surgical mask and notify their manager and/or occupational health and safety department if they begin to feel unwell while at work.

Return to Work

Health care workers should check with their employer / occupational health about isolation periods following a negative test as each workplace may have different return-to-work policies. See MOH COVID-19 Quick Reference Public Health Guidance on Testing and Clearance (last version 9.0, July 29, 2020).

Returning from Travel

Health care workers who have travelled outside of Canada within the last 14 days should self-isolate for a period of 14 days starting from their arrival in Ontario.

Exemptions: If there are particular workers who are deemed critical, by all parties, to continue operations, these workers must undergo regular screening, use appropriate PPE for the 14 days and undertake self-monitoring, including taking their temperature twice daily to monitor for fever.

If symptoms develop, health care workers must immediately self-isolate and self-identify to their occupational health and safety department.

Pregnant Health Care Workers

There is no evidence that pregnant women are more susceptible to the consequences of COVID-19, nor is there evidence of increased risk to their baby. Pregnant Health Care Workers can continue to work. In situations where a pregnant worker may be exposed to a person who is suspect or confirmed to have COVID-19, appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE) should be used. No additional PPE measures are required. Where staffing allows, unnecessary exposure to patients with suspected or known COVID-19 should be avoided if possible. For more information, visit the Society of Obstetricians and Gynecologists of Canada Infectious Disease Committee Statement on Health Care Workers during the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Health Care Workers Matching Portal

Skilled frontline health care workers are being actively recruited to increase the frontline capacity of hospitals, clinics, and assessment centres. The Government of Ontario has launched an online portal to match employers with such workers as retired or non-active health care professionals, internationally educated health care professionals, students and volunteers with health care experience. For more information, visit the Workforce Matching Portal.

Public Health Ontario has released an updated technical brief related to personal protective equipment during COVID-19. It continues to be reinforced that the route of transmission is droplet and contact based, and that there is no evidence to suggest any airborne transmission. Airborne precautions are still only recommended during aerosol generating procedures. All other PPE recommendations are highlighted on pages 5 to 8 of the brief.

Please use these guidelines for use of PPE or follow your organization’s direction.