COVID-19 – Health Professionals
Last updated: March 8, 2022
In addition to the information below, please also refer to the general COVID-19 information webpage and information for workplaces.
Case and Contact Guidance
COVID-19 Vaccine Information
COVID-19, Pregnancy and Infant Feeding
General COVID-19 Resources for Healthcare Workers
Environmental Cleaning & Infection Control
Personal Protective Equipment
Lab Testing Guidelines
Resources for Pharmacies
COVID-19 Vaccine Information
Healthcare providers are essential to the success of the COVID-19 vaccination campaign. As a healthcare provider, you have the opportunity to educate your patients on the facts about the COVID-19 vaccines. This can motivate patients to make an informed choice for their health.
Education Documents
Guidance for Special Populations
Addressing Vaccine Hesitancy
Addressing Needle Anxiety
COVID-19 Vaccine Information – General Public Resources
Healthcare Provider Education Documents
The first step in educating patients on the COVID-19 vaccine is to become educated yourself. The Ministry of Health has created educations documents for healthcare providers to assist in your practice:
General
- COVID-19 Vaccine Safety and Approval Process
- COVID-19: About Vaccines
- Q&A on Mixed COVID-19 mRNA Vaccines for Health Care Providers
- COVID-19 Vaccines at a Glance
- Ministry of Health Education Documents
- After Care Guidance
- COVID-19 Vaccine Information
- COVID-19 Vaccination Education Modules
- General Immunization Documents for Immunizers and Vaccine Clinics
Myocarditis/Pericarditis Resources
- Communique to health practitioners Myocarditis-pericarditis June 3 2021 FINAL
- Myocarditis and pericarditis following mRNA vaccine
- Reports of Myocarditis/pericarditis after COVID-19 vaccination FAQ for health-care providers –
- Patient Education Video On Myocarditis Risk Post Vaccination
Second dose guidance for individuals who received a first dose of AstraZeneca
- AstraZeneca COVID-19 Vaccine Second Dose Q&A for Health Care Providers
- A guide to making an informed decision about your second dose
Counselling Special Populations on Receiving the COVID-19 Vaccine
There are specific populations that may not be able to receive the COVID-19 vaccine. This may be due to an allergy to a component of the vaccine. It may also be the case that a population was not involved in the clinical trials and information may not be available about the outcomes of receiving the vaccine for those individuals.
- Vaccination Recommendations for Special Populations
- COVID-19 Vaccination Allergy Form
- COVID-19 Vaccine Pre-screen Assessment Tool
- COVID-19 Vaccine Consent Form– Ministry of Health
- Guidance to Support Pregnant and Breastfeeding People– Provincial Council for Maternal and Child Health
- Patient Decision Making Tool: Vaccination during Pregnancy and Breastfeeding – Ministry of Health
- COVID-19 Third Dose Referral form PPH (Revised October 18, 2021)
Addressing Vaccine Hesitancy
Healthcare providers play a key role in addressing vaccine hesitancy. It is your role to assist patients in weighing the risks and benefits to receiving the COVID-19 vaccine. Some strategies to consider when addressing vaccine hesitancy include:
- Honesty and transparency about the risks of receiving the COVID-19 vaccine
- Provide facts about the COVID-19 vaccine
- Highlight consequences of not receiving the COVID-19 vaccine
- Explain benefits to receiving the COVID-19 vaccine
Resources to Assist with Vaccine Hesitancy
- Ministry of Health – Vaccine Hesitancy Resources
- What you Need to Know About Getting The Vaccine
- This document contains FAQs that may assist in answering patient or client questions regarding the COVID-19 vaccines
- Answers to Difficult Questions about COVID-19 Vaccine
- This document contains difficult COVID-19 vaccine related FAQs that healthcare providers may receive
- Framework for Approaching Difficult Conversations with Patients
- This framework outlines tips and resources for addressing vaccine hesitancy from a patient-centered approach.
- Vaccine FAQ
- Peterborough Public Health vaccine webpage contains FAQs and is regularly updated
Resources to Assist with Needle Anxiety
Needle Related Fainting
Needle Fear
Improving the vaccine experience
Preparing for your COVID-19 vaccine
Patient Screening
COVID-19 Reference Document for Symptoms
COVID-19 Patient Screening Guidance Document
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COVID-19, Pregnancy and Infant Feeding
- COVID-19 During Pregnancy
- Breastfeeding FAQs for HCP
- Parent Information
- COVID-19 Information
- Labour, Delivery, and Newborn Care
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General COVID-19 Resources for Healthcare Workers
- Directives from the Chief Medical Officer of Health
- Guidance Documents for health sectors from the Ministry of Health
- COVID-19 Information and Resources for Paediatricians
- Health and Safety Guidance During COVID-19 for Physician and Primary Care Provider Employers
- Info for Health Professionals
- Mental Health and COVID-19 – Resources for Healthcare Workers
The Ministry of Health can be contacted through the Health Care Provider Hotline for policy guidance related to COVID-19 at 1-866-212-2272.
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Environmental Cleaning & Infection Control
Cleaning for COVID-19 is the same for other contact/droplet viruses, like influenza. Additional precautions may be recommended based upon a risk assessment.
- Best practices for infection prevention and control in clinical office settings (pg. 29-31)
- Best practices for environmental cleaning (pg. 107)
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Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)
- Personal Protection Equipment (PPE) FAQ
- Optimizing the Supply of PPE during the COVID-19 Pandemic from Ontario Health
- Recommendations on the use and conservation of PPE from Ontario Health
- Technical Brief: IPAC Recommendations for Use of Personal Protective Equipment for Care of Individuals with Suspect or Confirmed COVID-19
- COVID-19 Guidance: Information on the Use of N95 Filtering Facepiece respirators beyond the manufacturer-designated shelf life
- Q&As – Personal Protective Equipment Supply
- Putting on Personal Protective Equipment
- Removing Personal Protective Equipment
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Lab Testing Guidelines
Refer to Public Health Ontario for information on the COVID-19 lab requisition, specimen collection and handling and turnaround time.
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Resources for Pharmacies
Walk in Calendar: COVID-19 Vaccine Clinic
Healthcare Professionals – Alerts
COVID-19 HRC and testing document
Immunizations, Vaccines, and Cold Chains
Executive Officer Communications
Participating Pharmacies (Per Ontario Records)
COVID-19 Testing & Test Locations