COVID-19
Guidance for the Health Sector
| Last reviewed | February 26, 2021 |
|---|---|
| Last updated | February 26, 2021 |
- Case Definition
- How to help
- Travelers from outside of Canada
- Guidance Documents
- COVID-19 Vaccine-Relevant Information and Planning Resources
- For Controlled Drugs and Substances (CDS) prescribers
- Signage
- Related Information
Case Definition
The case definition for COVID-19 has been updated and is current as of February 18, 2021. This information may change frequently, please check back often for updates.
For clinical testing purposes: health professionals who are involved in the assessment and management of possible COVID-19 cases are encouraged to consult Tables 1 and 2 in the daily WHO Situation Report to help inform their decision making.
How to help
We are looking for people with experience in health care who can help us to prevent and control the spread of COVID-19.
Visit our Health Workforce Matching Portal if you're a:
- health care provider working part-time and want to increase your work hours, a former health care provider who is retired or on inactive status, or a health care provider in training and you'd like to be matched to positions and opportunities where services are needed most
- health care facility and would like to request help from available resources
Travelers from outside of Canada:
Anyone who has travelled outside of Canada is required to self-isolate for 14 days upon their arrival back in Canada. For more information please visit the Government of Canada's website for travel advice and the Ministry of Health website dedicated to coronavirus.
Guidance Documents
Guidance documents on COVID-19 have been produced for a number of health and other sectors.
Note: To the extent that any guidance document conflicts with a Directive issued by the Chief Medical Officer of Health under s. 77.7 of the Health Protection and Promotion Act, the Directive prevails.
Health Sector Resources
Long-Term Care Home / Retirement Homes Resources
| Document title | Date |
|---|---|
| Guidance for Long-Term Care Homes | April 15, 2020 |
| Screening Tool for Long-Term Care Homes and Retirement Homes | May 6, 2020 |
| Outbreak Guidance for Long-Term Care Homes (LTCH) | April 15, 2020 |
| Guidance for mask use in long- term care homes and retirement homes | April 15, 2020 |
| Retirement Home COVID-19 Visiting Policy
|
December 11, 2020 |
| COVID-19 Test Requisition | June 12, 2020 |
| COVID-19 Surveillance Testing – Guidance Regarding Retirement Homes Staff and Resident Testing | June 12, 2020 |
| COVID-19: Visiting Long-Term Care Homes | October 5, 2020 |
Symptoms, Screening, and Testing Resources
| Document title | Date |
|---|---|
| COVID-19 Provincial Testing Guidance | February 17, 2021 |
| Guidance on Testing of Asymptomatic Persons in Pharmacies | November 9, 2020 |
| COVID-19 Quick Reference Public Health Guidance on Testing and Clearance | February 18, 2021 |
| Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Testing - PHO | April 18, 2020 |
| Considerations for Privately-Initiated Testing | November 20, 2020 |
| COVID-19 Guidance: Considerations for Rapid Antigen Screening | February 17, 2021 |
| Considerations for Employer Rapid Antigen Screening Pilot | November 20, 2020 |
| Rapid Point of Care Testing Use Case Guidance | February 19, 2021 |
| COVID-19 Reference Document for Symptoms | September 21, 2020 |
| COVID-19 Patient Screening Guidance Document | June 11, 2020 |
| COVID-19 Screening Tool for Workplaces (Customer screening) | December 22, 2020 |
| COVID-19 Screening Tool for Workplaces (Worker and employee screening) | December 22, 2020 |
| COVID-19 Signage Questions for Businesses and Organizations | February 26, 2021 |
Case and Contact Management Resources
Mental Health Resources
| Document title | Date |
|---|---|
| Talking to Children About the Pandemic | March 28, 2020 |
| Resources for Ontarians Experiencing Mental Health and Addictions Issues During the Pandemic | April 3, 2020 |
Guidance for Other Sectors
| Document title | Date |
|---|---|
| A Guide to Starting a Home-based Food Business | December 24, 2020 |
| COVID-19 Guidance: School Outbreak Management | October 1, 2020 |
| Guidance on Community Emergency Evacuations | April 20, 2020 |
| COVID-19 Guidance: Congregate Living for Vulnerable Populations | May 28, 2020 |
| COVID-19 Guidance Documents for Provincial Correctional Institutions | July 2020 |
| Guidance for Funeral and Bereavement Services | March 29, 2020 |
| COVID-19 Advice: Religious Services, Rites or Ceremonies | August 21, 2020 |
| Guidance for Temporary Foreign Workers | March 31, 2020 |
| COVID-19 Guidance: Summer Day Camps | August 13, 2020 |
| COVID-19 Guidance: Workplace Outbreaks | June 11, 2020 |
| COVID-19 Guidance: On-Farm Outbreak Management | September 21, 2020 |
For Controlled Drugs and Substances (CDS) prescribers
Health Canada is moving forward with regulatory exemptions to improve pharmacological and therapeutic options for allowing patients to access controlled medications during the COVID-19.
Health Canada Exemption and Interpretive Guide for Controlled Substances.
Signage
The following signage has been created for health care settings.
| Patients | Visitors |
|---|---|
| English | English |
| French | French |
Related Information
Ontario.ca/COVID-19
Contacting your Public Health Unit
What we know so far - PHO
Government of Canada COVID-19 Outbreak update
Telehealth Ontario: 1-866-797-0000
Public Information
