The following are the most up-to-date health and safety resources for health care staff working and providing front-line services during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The below resources and training videos are from the Mississauga Halton LHIN Regional Learning Centre and Public Health Ontario.
COVID-19 Vaccine Information:
View: Ministry of Health COVID-19 Reference Document for Symptoms
Call 911 if you are experiencing any of the following symptoms:
- severe difficulty breathing (struggling for each breath, can only speak in single words)
- severe chest pain (constant tightness or crushing sensation)
- feeling confused or unsure of where you are
- losing consciousness
The most common symptoms of COVID-19 include:
- fever (feeling hot to the touch, a temperature of 37.8 degrees Celsius or higher)
- chills
- cough that’s new or worsening (continuous, more than usual)
- barking cough, making a whistling noise when breathing (croup)
- shortness of breath (out of breath, unable to breathe deeply)
- sore throat
- difficulty swallowing
- runny, stuffy or congested nose (not related to seasonal allergies or other known causes or conditions)
- lost sense of taste or smell
- pink eye (conjunctivitis)
- headache that’s unusual or long lasting
- digestive issues (nausea/vomiting, diarrhea, stomach pain)
- muscle aches
- extreme tiredness that is unusual (fatigue, lack of energy)
- falling down often
- for young children and infants: sluggishness or lack of appetite
Should you present symptoms, call Telehealth Ontario: 1-866-797-0000
View: How to self-monitor
View: How to self-isolate
Hand Hygiene
Finger Nails:
- Nails should be short and polish-free
- Artificial nails of any sort should not be worn
- If nail polish is worn, it must be freshly applied (within 4 days) and in good condition (no chips!)
- Wearing rings and other hand/wrist jewelry should also be kept to a minimum
Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)
To be used according to your agency policies
Contact: Gown and gloves while providing direct care
Droplet: Mask and goggles when standing within 2 meters of a client
Gloves:
- Not a substitute for hand hygiene
- Use whenever hands may be in contact with blood, body fluids or contaminated surfaces
- Put on gloves just before doing a task and remove them immediately after
- MUST perform hand hygiene before and after using gloves
- Single-use only
- Used to protect the client and yourself
Putting on (donning) PPE
Steps:
- Perform hand hygiene.
- Put on gown and secure ties.
- Put on mask. Wear coloured side out. Make sure the mask covers your nose and nose piece fits firmly.
- Pull the mask down below your chin to fit it firmly around your face
- Put on eye protection.
- Put on gloves, placing them over the wrist of the gown.
Taking off (doffing) PPE
To prevent contamination, never touch the front of the PPE equipment
Steps:
- Remove gloves using glove to glove and skin to skin method.
- Remove the gown turning it inside out and rolling it up to discard.
- Perform hand hygiene.
- Remove eye protection by taking it from the back of your head.
- Remove mask by using ear loops or ties.
- Perform hand hygiene.
Poster: Removing and putting on PPE
Additional Resources
View: Mental health information for professionals
View: Mindfulness and meditations for professionals
COVID Alert is Canada’s free exposure notification app.
COVID Alert is just one of the many public health efforts to limit the spread of COVID-19. Its purpose is to enhance and speed up the current manual contract tracing process. Use of the app is voluntary – users opt-in to participate. Users consent to sharing their data if they have tested positive for COVID-19. Users must be within two metres of each other, for a total duration of 15 minutes in a 24-hour period, in order to be notified as a close contact. The app is available to download for free here, or from the App Store and Google Play.