May 23 2021 COVID-19 report

Dear Colleagues: Welcome to our Sunday, May 23 report during this sixteenth month of COVID-19 in Ontario. You can find earlier update reports here, including thematic pieces in Doris’ COVID-19 Blog. And, for the many resources RNAO offers on COVID-19, please visit the COVID-19 Portal where you will also find RNAO media hits and releases on the pandemic here. Daily Situational Reports from Ontario's MOH EOC can be found here. As always, feel free to share this report and links with anyone interested. Scroll down for information on several upcoming webinars, events and updates.

COVID-19 VIANurse – Critical care nurses - As informed earlier, RNAO has activated VIANurse to augment nursing HR in critical care. If you are a critical care nurse and you are available, or if you are an employer needing critical care nurses, please go to the VIANurse page here.

Employers: we still have hundreds of many RNs with specialty in critical care available to work.

In today’s report we share: (1) mourning the passing of RNAO past-President Charlotte Noesgaard; (2) response to the government announcement of a re-opening roadmap; (3) the exemption of nurses and other health-care workers from Bill 124; (4) RNAO involved in three surveys on the impact of COVID-19 on Canadian nurses; and (5) nurse practitioners speak about LTC during the COVID-19 Pandemic.

 

Remembering Charlotte Noesgaard (1948-2021)

RNAO is profoundly saddened by the passing of nursing leader, past president and long-time member Charlotte Noesgaard on May 14.

As president of RNAO in the late 90s, Charlotte put a lot of time, attention and hard work into promoting the baccalaureate degree as a requirement for entry to practice. In 2000, her hard work was recognized as the government announced that new registered nurses (RN) would require a BScN beginning in 2005, highlighting the vast knowledge RNs require when entering practice in their role. Charlotte also served as a co-chair of the expert panel for RNAO’s 2016 BPG Practice Education in Nursing and provided her knowledge and insight to enhance practice education for nursing students.

In 2006, Charlotte was awarded RNAO’s Lifetime Achievement Award, recognizing her long-standing and formidable contributions to the association. As a stateswoman for RNAO, Charlotte graced every Annual General Meeting (AGM) with her infectious laugh and positive outlook serving as a parliamentarian for many years. The Waterloo Chapter of RNAO was her grassroots home and she always showed pride about the many initiatives the chapter was involved with.

Along with her work at RNAO, Charlotte was a passionate and valued professor at McMaster University’s School of Nursing. She spent one day each week accompanying students in their clinical placements in hospitals around Hamilton. Being a professor in both classroom and clinical settings was important to Charlotte who said it gave her the opportunity to “…engage students to be the type of nurse I would want to have looking after me or one of my family members.”

Charlotte will be dearly missed and will live in our hearts as a dedicated colleague, beloved friend, active RNAO leader, respected teacher and mentor who served the nursing community, fully and generously. RNAO extends its deepest condolences to Charlotte’s spouse Henrik Noesgaard, her children and extended family and friends.

To learn more about Charlotte and her accomplishments, please read our RN profile in the 2008 issue of RNJ (page 11) and the family’s obituary. Charlotte’s family and RNAO’s family have set up a scholarship on her memory. To contribute, please donate to The Charlotte Noesgaard Scholarship RNFOO online.

 

RNAO’s statement on the government’s phased-in re-opening plan

Members of the Registered Nurses’ Association of Ontario commend the government’s May 20 announcement of a phased-in Three-Step Re-opening Roadmap for the province.

Based on current trends in key health indicators, including the provincial vaccination rate, the government expects to enter Step One of the Roadmap the week of June 14, 2021. The province will confirm closer to the expected start of Step One, but RNAO cautions against any advancement of this date. We have already learnt the heavy people’s and societal costs of opening too soon.

RNAO says the approach, which calls for a Three-Step plan, each lasting at least 21 days, is simple and reasonable. Instead of a colour-coded regional opening which encountered the problem of mobility across regions, the plan takes a sector-by-sector approach, with each sector re-opening simultaneously across the province. The government says that Step One of the Roadmap may begin after 60% of Ontario’s adults receive at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine and if public health indicators, such as hospitalizations, ICU occupancy and new admissions and case rates indicate the province can safely move to this step of the roadmap. The vaccination target of 60% is reasonable. RNAO would have liked to see specific targets for the other variables – not just the expectation of a positive trend in hospitalizations, ICU occupancy, case rates, etc. The same holds for Steps Two and Three. The vaccination targets set for each are appropriate, but no specific targets are set for other indicators. The government must be very cautious in evaluating these other indicators before moving from one Step to the next. We should learn from past mistakes.

Step One will permit the resumption of more outdoor activities with smaller, well-managed crowds where risk of transmission is minimized and will permit retail, all with restrictions in place. Step Two will further expand outdoor activities and will resume limited indoor services with small numbers of people where face coverings are worn, with other restrictions in place. Step Three will permit the resumption of indoor services with larger numbers of people, with restrictions in place. Likely we can expect Step Three to be accompanied by some type of passport for indoor large gatherings (which RNAO supports, ensuring proper confidentially safeguards) (see here and here and here). For details of the restrictions in each Step, go here. 

RNAO says that immediate steps, taking effect yesterday, to allow outdoor gatherings of up to five people and the re-opening of outdoor recreational amenities with restrictions in place, such as the need to maintain physical distancing, will allow people to enjoy outdoor activities. RNAO says it is essential that everyone remain vigilant, practicing safe distancing and wearing face masks to protect others and themselves.

RNAO was surprised that the government announcement did not include day passes for long-term care (LTC) nursing home residents, as it did for retirement homes. We were pleased that as soon we brought the issue to the Premier’s attention, it was quickly rectified. A memo was issued the following day. Day passes for LTC nursing home residents are long overdue, as they have been fully vaccinated, yet continued to be in lockdown. We are thrilled for them and their loved ones!

RNAO says the cautious approach reflected in the government’s re-opening roadmap respects the advice of the province’s Science Table. This time, the government heard the advice to wait for two additional weeks beyond the end of the current lockdown on June 2 before starting the re-opening. A measured and careful re-opening is especially necessary since the province continues with very high number of new infections each day and there are still 693 people in hospital ICUs, because of COVID-19. Nurses and other health professionals in critical care and other stressed sectors continue to be stretched to the limit and cannot risk being overwhelmed for much longer.

As Premier Ford mentioned, variants are still spreading throughout Ontario communities, which is why RNAO insists the government must increase the number of paid sick days to 10 days so essential workers and others without access to this employee benefit have the protection they need to isolate safely and to recover if they are unwell without fear of losing their job.

It is heartening that yesterday we marked 54% of Ontarians having had their first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine! We send a heartfelt THANK YOU to all vaccinators and a bigger one to all persons rolling up their sleeves, including now 12 years old and up – my older grandson included – yehhhhh! 

RNAO urges the government to continue expanding the vaccination program, and to ensure that nurses are fully utilized in the rollout – many have offered to help with no uptake. Similarly, all homecare and primary care nurses – thousands of them – are already in the payroll and for reasons that RNAO and their employers do not understand, these nurses are not being leveraged for vaccination rollout. Nor are most of the 4,500 RN care coordinators who are part of Ontario Health (previously in the LHINs). The latest figure we received from Ontario Health was that only 50 of the 4,500 had been located in vaccination centres.    

 

The immediate exemption of nurses and other health-care workers from Bill 124

RNAO sent the following open letter to Premier Doug Ford on May 21. Please take action and sign the Action Alert now! And RT here!

Dear Premier Ford,  

RNAO calls on you to immediately exempt nurses and other health-care workers from Bill 124:  An act to implement moderation measures in respect of compensation in Ontario’s public sector.  

For over 14 months, this province has been under siege from COVID-19 and its variants.  Ontarians have turned to health-care workers to secure their health and safety and to save their lives. Health-care workers – in particular nurses – have remained steadfast in their commitment to all citizens of this province in spite of their own fears, in spite of their own exhaustion, in spite of the risks to their own health and safety and that of their loved ones. And when policy mistakes have been made, and another wave of COVID-19 has been allowed to crest, nurses remained at their posts and cared for Ontarians.   

Words of appreciation have been uttered by public officials over the course of this pandemic, but meaningful and tangible signs of appreciation have been sparse. Indeed, throughout this pandemic, this government has kept in place legislation that forcibly suppresses the compensation of the very health-care workers that it calls “heroes.” Health-care workers that fall under Bill 124 will emerge from this pandemic not just exhausted and burnt out, but also with a loss of income in real terms. This is profoundly and patently unfair and, consequently, puts Ontarians and the effective functioning of our province’s health system at risk.   

Premier, as you know, Ontario entered this pandemic with the lowest RN-to-population ratio in Canada, an issue raised over and over by RNAO. The lack of respect for nurses implicit in Bill 124 is informing the decision of many of our colleagues to leave our magnificent profession not just post-pandemic, but now. Indeed, our survey indicates a potential departure rate of registered nurses (RN) and nurse practitioners (NP) of 15.6 per cent in the immediate aftermath of the pandemic. Such a departure rate threatens the effective functioning of Ontario’s health system.   

Premier, we urge you in the strongest possible terms to immediately exempt nurses and other health-care workers from Bill 124. Anything else will result in dire consequences for Ontarians, as nurses will continue to exit the health system now and post-pandemic, making long wait times for procedures and surgeries even longer than already expected. 

Once again, I urge my readers to take action: Sign the Action Alert now, and RT here!

 

RNAO involved in three surveys on the impact of COVID-19 on Canadian nurses

Canada and the rest of the world are well into the third wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. Canadian nurses and other health professionals are under dangerous levels of stress, and their wellbeing is at risk. Elements of the health system, such as hospital intensive care units (ICU), have been overwhelmed. RNAO is involved in three major surveys that will help us develop new programs to respond to nurses’ needs, and capture the impacts on nurses’ wellbeing to share with employers, government and other policymakers:

• RNAO’s survey of Ontario nurses
• The University of Ottawa comparative survey of nurses and other health professions across Canada, with RNAO participation
• A partnership between University of South Australia and RNAO comparing impacts on Canadian nurses with nurses and midwives in over 100 other countries.

1. RNAO Work and Wellbeing Survey Results

Widespread impact of pandemic on Ontario RNs. On March 31, RNAO released the results of a survey it did of Ontario RNs, NPs and nursing students from January 29 to February 22, 2021. With well over 2,000 participants, this survey revealed that nurses were profoundly -- though differentially -- impacted with high levels of concern about health risks, high levels of stress, and significant impacts on work/life balance. The majority were able to cope and adapt, but a significant minority were struggling. Nurses relied most heavily on family and friends for support. They rated support from the government to be inadequate, while support from employers was rated in the adequate range. RNAO’s support amongst members and non-members was rated high (interestingly, RNAO members also expressed higher levels of “happiness”).

Looming losses of RNs. A striking finding of the survey was that elevated numbers of RNs were contemplating retirement or leaving the profession – so much so that in the first year alone, potential losses would amount to 15.6%, which is over three times the normal loss rate of 4.8% for RNs. The survey landed with a splash, being cited in the Toronto Star, Hospital News, Kitchener Today (also Sudbury.com), CMAJ, as well as several television and radio outlets. The findings are ringing alarm bells, and decision-makers cannot ignore the results, particularly given the strong attention they have attracted. A May 14 government announcement to increase the seats in BScN programs starting this Fall is a direct result from the survey. 

2. Nursing Case Study of the Healthy Professional Worker Partnership: University of Ottawa

Comparing impact of pandemic on RNs with that on other health professions. RNAO is a partner in the nursing portion of the Healthy Professional Worker Partnership examining mental health at work. The partnership is based at the University of Ottawa and led by Dr. Ivy Bourgeault. It is conducting seven case studies of professions, including nursing, midwifery, medicine, dentistry, teaching, academia and accounting. The work entails document analysis, intervention case studies, stakeholder interviews, worker interviews and worker surveys. RNAO strongly encouraged nurses to participate in the study through direct email, in RNAO’s In-The-Loop, through this blog, and social media. The survey portion is now closed and we eagerly await the report which will compare the results among the different professions.

3. COVID-19 and your workplace and wellbeing: A joint RNAO/UniSA survey of Canadian nurses.

Comparing impact of pandemic on nurses by jurisdiction. Have your say! RNAO is working in partnership with researchers from the Rosemary Bryant AO Research Centre (RBRC) at the University of South Australia (UniSA) to deliver a Canada-wide survey of nurses on COVID-19 and wellbeing. We have jointly adapted to Canada the survey that UniSA is using for nurses in 117 countries across the globe. That survey was widely distributed by Nursing Now, and a report is expected by the end of May.

Scope of the new survey. The Canadian survey is very extensive and will allow a detailed picture of

• how prepared workplaces were for the pandemic,
• how well they responded and protected staff and patients from the virus,
• how respondents were affected by the pandemic in terms of health, workload, work demands and employment,
• how well respondents were supported, and
• how well respondents are responding to the current challenges in the workplace.

How many nurses will we lose? The survey also inquires whether respondents are likely to retire or leave the profession. The survey will allow us to compare results by age, years of nursing, gender, location, ethnicity, country of origin, union representation, job classification, nurse classification, role, work status, sector, and setting. UniSA will compare for us the Canadian results with those in other countries.

The importance of participating. This is an excellent opportunity for nurses to tell the story of their pandemic experience in great detail. The survey is constructed in a way that we can identify the greatest challenges, who faces them, and what can help. It will take you about 20 minutes to respond, and this is time well spent! The survey results are very important. They will help participating jurisdictions in Canada and elsewhere to advance your needs, make sure nurses remain valued and fulfilled members of our profession, and that Canadians have the nursing human resources they require. The survey will strengthen the ability of RNAO and others to advocate for healthier nursing and pandemic policies. We expect strong public and media interest in the survey results, like with our earlier survey. We urge all Canadian nurses to respond, including those who kindly participated in the January/February RNAO survey.

If you are a Canadian nurse, we highly encourage you to respond to the survey. To start this survey, go to https://research.unisa.edu.au/redcap/surveys/?s=XX4WRC33TR

 

Voices from the Field: Nurse practitioners speak about LTC during the COVID-19 Pandemic

We would like to thank RNAO’s NP Long-term Care (LTC) Council for contributing the following article. It builds on the collective experience of nurse practitioners (NP) participating in RNAO’s NPs in LTC Council webinars. For information about the council please contact Ann-Marie Morris amorris@rnao.ca or Council Co-Chair Kaitlan Laviolette, NP kaitlan.laviolette@hch.ca.

As nurse practitioners working in long-term care (LTC), we bring a unique perspective on the reality of working in Ontario’s LTC homes.

It is no secret that the COVID-19 virus has disproportionately affected the older population, especially those living in congregate care settings. We were saddened to hear – throughout the course of the COVID-19 pandemic – nothing but negative and horrific reporting about LTC. It is now well documented that the sector is broken, and the COVID-19 pandemic has shattered the deep crack that has existed for many years.

What has not been reported are the extreme sacrifices, enthusiasm, and passion that LTC staff bring to their work everyday to care for our complex frail seniors. With changing government regulations restricting visitors into facilities, staff has often stepped in for family, providing comfort and socialization, while at the same time remotely supporting families. We are often the only ones there to hold the hand of a resident as they take their last breath, when their family cannot be with them. Interprofessional teams in LTC continue to work tirelessly to prevent the spread of COVID-19, while striving to improve the quality of life for our residents and their families. We believe that the foundation of our work is about honoring the residents as individuals, providing compassionate care, as well as minimizing social isolation for our residents and their families.

The impact that the pandemic has had on LTC over the past year and more, has proven to be a platform for many powerful voices; however, the voices reflecting the day-to-day realities of those who work in LTC go unheard. LTC is probably the highest regulated health-care sector in Ontario. The strict Long-Term Care Homes Act and its accompanying regulations provide little room to think outside of the box. Ministry of LTC inspectors can walk in the door at any moment, day or night and inspect the home and document their findings in a report. Rather than beginning a collaborative process with the homes, these reports provide various levels of punitive orders with no mention of areas of achievement in the home. In the current COVID-19 context, additional inspections from public health and the ministry of labour have added to the stress and strain on the limited staff in an already underfunded sector. As a result, the inspection reports leave staff with a deflated feeling of failure and destroy their morale. This ultimately drives away staff who have worked so hard within the current system, especially now during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Instead of a fear-driven system, LTC facilities need positive feedback and a collaborative approach from the ministry, public health and other system partners. This collaborative effort will ultimately lead to changing the narrative about LTC among all stakeholders, including members of the media, which generally report only the negative aspects of this sector.

The pandemic has put a spotlight on the long-standing systemic issues that have plagued LTC care for decades. Unfortunately, we are seeing evidence from all levels of government that we are not on a path to positive reform. The administrative burden that we face because of the pandemic is crushing. It has taken away the purpose for which we are all working in LTC, which is to provide excellent quality of care to our complex older population. The voice of front-line LTC staff is missing from the table when it comes to policy and legislative change. Examples of this can be seen frequently, such as the government’s decision in wave one of the COVID-19 pandemic to limit health-care workers to only one LTC home. While the decision was necessary to prevent transmission of the virus, inadequate staffing even before the pandemic, little advance notice of the change, and no salary supports to enable the staff to earn a living wage while restricted to one setting, meant that many facilities were left scrambling to fill shifts to care for our residents. In the same way, the decision to mandate security guards as third-party oversight demonstrates the lack of insight and understanding of the sector and the fact that these facilities are people’s homes. Rash decisions seem to be made followed by back peddling after implementation. Thoughtful feedback and discussion are often lacking.

We believe the system can be fixed, and as a start, consideration should be given to once again merging the Ministry of Health and Ministry of Long-term Care. If that is not feasible, then establish a new position of chief medical officer of LTC. This position could be a nurse practitioner. Increased funding for staffing and an appropriate skill-mix must be a top priority, including PSWs, RPNs, RNs and NPs, as called for by RNAO’s Nursing Home Basic Care Guarantee (NHBCG). This call has now been echoed by Associate Chief Justice Frank Marrocco in his Ontario Long-Term Care COVID-19 Commission report. This is a must to meet the increasing complexity of individuals now living in LTC.

Nurse practitioners demonstrate robust expertise and deep knowledge of nursing and medical practice, and throughout this pandemic, contributed their expertise, enhancing the health of residents in the 60 nursing homes where we work. We also developed urgently needed new processes, policies and procedures in LTC facilities. NPs are highly regarded by the frontline staff and leadership team. Again, reflecting RNAO’s NHBCG, and based on our lived experience, our LTC NP Council is recommending one (1) an NP position for every 120 residents with no less that one (1) NP in every LTC facility. This is foundational to improve the quality of care to our LTC residents and to ensure residents receive the right care, at the right time, in the right place. The LTC Commission report recognized that NPs are underutilized in LTC and adopted this recommendation (see Recommendation 46).

As nurse practitioners working in LTC, we are passionate, knowledgeable, and committed to our work and a better future for the residents, families and staff colleagues. We are eager to shed light on the current reality of LTC. It has been too long that we and our colleagues have been silent.

 

POLICY UPDATES FOR ALL TO ACT ON & MUST JOIN EVENTS – OPEN TO ALL

 

 

Continuing the Conversation: An Open Forum for Nurses

May 26, 2:30pm - 4:00pm

RNAO is aware nurses across Ontario – especially those working on the frontlines of COVID-19 – are experiencing tremendous levels of physical and emotional stress and burnout. We know this can affect your mental health and wellbeing at this challenging time and that you may have less time to devote to your own self care.

 

During these biweekly open forums, RNAO facilitates open discussions and holds breakout sessions for participants to discuss themes identified in the previous forums, such as dealing with multiple losses, taking care of yourself, burnout and more.

 

All RNs, NPs, RPNs and nursing students – in all roles and sectors – are invited to participate. You may wish to share how things are going for you or you can simply join and listen in.

 

Visit our COVID-19 Portal for additional resources and information on psychosocial support.

 

Next session, May 26, 2:30pm - 4:00pm: Stay tuned for details. Register here.

 

You can read about earlier webinars here.

 

 

Annual General Meeting is June 24-26: Registration now open

RNAO’s theme this year for its 96th Annual General Meeting (AGM) is Protecting Ontarians and Leading Change: Nurses and RNAO during COVID-19.

The theme speaks to the hard work and care nurses are providing day in and day out to Ontarians during this pandemic and the change they are leading by making the province a healthier place for all.

This year, RNAO’s AGM will be held virtually on June 24-26, 2021.

Join us for an exciting program of events and to celebrate the incredible efforts of registered nurses, nurse practitioners and nursing students during this most unprecedented past year.

Schedule of events:

• June 24, 2021 – opening ceremonies (6 - 7:30 p.m. ET)
• June 25, 2021 – virtual exhibiting booths (10 a.m. - 12 p.m. ET), student luncheon (1 - 2 p.m. ET) and AGM (4 - 7 p.m. ET)
• June 26, 2021 – interest group meetings, BPG launch and media conference and closing keynote (8:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m. ET)

The student luncheon will be hosted by RNAO’s interest group Nursing Students of Ontario and it will focus on how students were leaders and change-makers during COVID-19. The Student of Distinction Award will also be presented during this portion.

On Saturday, after the interest group meetings in the morning, RNAO will release its newest BPG Promoting 2SLGBTQI+ Health Equity and have a media conference for questions. Following the media conference, the closing keynote presentation, entitled Protecting Ontarians and Leading Change: COVID-19 through Nurse Lenses, will take place and have a panel discussion made up of different nurses from different sectors and their experience through the pandemic.

To register, please go online. View the schedule of events online.

For a recap on last year's virtual AGM, please visit our AGM portal.           

 

Take Your MPP To Work: Watch Premier Ford, Minister Elliott and MPP Kusendova visit with home care providers

RNAO’s Take Your MPP To Work (TYMTW) LIVE provides members with the opportunity to meet virtually with their local MPP. The intensive schedule of visits that happened during Nursing Week can be found here. These events give an opportunity to share your experience with your MPP so they can better understand the depth of nursing practice challenges while caring for patients and communities throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.

One of the visits organized by RNAO was held was on May 14. Premier Doug Ford, Minister of Health Christine Elliott and MPP Natalia Kusendova visited virtually with Bayshore Health Care, Closing the Gap Healthcare, SE Health and VON Canada. You can watch the video here.

 

 

MOH EOC Situational Report

We are posting each day the Daily Situational Reports from Ontario's MOH EOC at RNAO’s website. That way, you can access the Ministry’s guidance at any time.

For a more detailed Ontario epidemiological summary from Public Health Ontario, you can always go here.

Here is a segment from the last Situation Report #435 for May 21:

 

Case count as of May 21, 2021 / Nombre de cas le 21 mai 2021
Area / Région	Area / Région	Change from yesterday / Changement par rapport à hier	Deaths / Décès	Change from yesterday / Changement par rapport à hier
Canada*	1 347 445	+ 5 057	25 111	+  45
Ontario**	518 980	+ 1 890	8 575	+  23

 

 

Update:

• A memo was shared from Dr. Williams today outlining Ontario’s plan for those that received AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine for their first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine series. The COVID-19 Vaccine Information for Individuals that received a first dose of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine/COVISHIELD vaccine also included in this sit rep is for health care providers to share and discuss with individuals that received AstraZeneca COVID-19/COVISHIELD vaccine for their first dose of vaccine.  A press release has also gone out to support this message: Ontario Proceeding with Second Dose Administration of AstraZeneca | Ontario Newsroom

• For Directive #3 for Long-Term Care Homes under the Long-Term Care Homes Act, 2007 – see here.
• COVID-19 Vaccine Booking Expanding to Youth 12+ Ahead of Schedule: Ontario’s COVID-19 vaccine rollout continues to expand, with youth aged 12 and over eligible to book their appointment to receive a COVID-19 vaccine beginning this weekend.
• Guidance for Home and Community Care Providers has been updated and is now available on the Ministry’s website: COVID-19 - Guidance for the Health Sector - Ministry Programs - Health Care Professionals - MOH (gov.on.ca)
• The attached three COVID-19 vaccine documents* have been developed for youth and/or parents/legal guardians:

• COVID-19 Vaccine Information Sheet: For Youth (Age 12-17): Vaccine information for youth receiving the Pfizer BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine. See here.
• What Youth Need to Know About their Appointment: Provides information for youth on how to prepare for an upcoming COVID-19 vaccination appointment and what to do after receiving the vaccine. See here.
• COVID-19 Vaccine Youth (Age 12-17) Consent Form: A paper copy of the form used by health care providers to document consent from youth and/or their parent/legal guardian for the COVID-19 vaccination. See here.

• The attached two COVID-19 vaccine documents* have been updated:

• COVID-19 Vaccine Information Sheet: Vaccine information for patients receiving any COVID-19 vaccine, with vaccine information for youth receiving the Pfizer BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine included.  See here.
• COVID -19 Vaccine Screening Form: A pre-screening tool for health care providers administering any COVID-19 vaccine. COVAX has been updated to include these questions. See here.

• The following documents have been updated and are available on the Ministry’s website: 

• Guidance for Home and Community Care Providers
• COVID-19 Provincial Testing Guidance
  • COVID-19 Quick Reference Public Health Guidance on Testing and Clearance
  • Considerations for Privately-Initiated Testing
  • Antigen Point-of-Care Testing Guidance
  • Appendix 9: Management of Individuals with Point-of-Care Results
  • Case Definition
  • COVID-19 Vaccine Storage and Handling Guidance 

 

Staying in touch        

Keeping in touch is now more important than ever. Feeling that you are part of a community and that we have your back will help you get through this challenging time. We are also eager to hear from you how we can best support you. Send to us your questions, comments, and challenges. Feel free to also recommend ideas for future webinars. Send these to me at dgrinspun@rnao.ca and copy my executive assistant, Peta-Gay (PG) Batten email: pgbatten@rnao.ca. RNAO’s Board of Directors and our entire staff want you to know: WE ARE HERE FOR YOU!

Thank you all for being there for our communities – everywhere and in all roles! Together, in solidarity, we are stronger and more resilient. These continue to be tough times and we have to reach out to one another in solidarity! Our government, the public and indeed all health professionals – must keep focused. There is hope at the end of this long tunnel. Vaccines are being delivered in large quantities and now we need to fasten the rollout! Hugely important is to continue fighting the spread of the virus to preserve lives. To everyone and most especially our colleagues working in the front lines here at home and in countries around the world hit hard by evil COVID-19 – THANK YOU, and please take care of yourselves and know that RNAO always stands by you!

As we have said before and everyday more true: The silver lining of COVID-19:  Coming together and working as one people – for the good of all!

Doris Grinspun, RN,MSN, PhD, LLD(hon), Dr(hc), FAAN, FCAN, O.ONT
Chief Executive Officer, RNAO

 

RECENT BLOG ITEMS:

15 May - Nursing Now Ontario Awards Ceremony – go here.

15 May - Vaccine passports – reason for hope or cause for concern? – go here.

15 May - Government responds to RNAO’s call for increased enrollment in nursing education – go here.

15 May - Second dose vaccination for high-risk healthcare workers in response to RNAO’s call – go here.

8 May - Nurses must be fully vaccinated immediately, RNAO demands – go here.

8 May - A bill to support individuals with assistive devices for mental health – go here.

8 May - Action alert: Ensure global vaccine access, prime minister! – go here.

1 May - RNAO statement on the passing of RN Lorraine Gouveia – go here.

1 May - RNAO’s continuing media profile: The April report – go here.

1 May – RNAO response to Long-Term Care COVID-19 Commission report – go here.

24 April - RNAO launches new policy webpages – go here.

24 April – RNAO responds to federal fiscal budget – go here.

17 April - Vaccine engagement as a tool to address marginalization and exclusion – go here.

17 April - Here's how the COVID-19 pandemic could play out in 2021 and beyond – go here.

17 April - Reacting to the latest Ontario government public health measures – go here.

10 April - RNAO and NAN sign Relationship Accord to improve health across NAN Territory – go here.

10 April - RNAO media release on public health measures and vaccination rollout – go here.

10 April - 3 ways to vaccinate the world and make sure everyone benefits, rich and poor – go here.

3 April - Government’s “shutdown” announcement doesn’t go far enough – go here.

3 April - RNAO’s continuing media profile: The March report – go here.

27 Mar - Provincial budget fails to deliver urgent nursing investments to care for Ontarians – go here.

27 Mar - Government's reopening plan threatens the health of Ontarians – go here.

20 Mar - Preliminary results of RNAO‘s Work and Wellbeing Survey – go here.

13 Mar - Getting it right – go here.

13 Mar - RNAO leads dozens of organizations in candlelight vigil – go here.

6 Mar - RNAO’s continuing media profile: The February report – go here.

6 Mar - Communication during a Pandemic: How we can endure the pandemic together – go here.

6 Mar - Webinar: Understanding wellness in Indigenous wisdom traditions for caregivers – go here.

We have posted earlier ones in my blog here. I invite you to look.

 

Information Resources

Public Health Ontario maintains an excellent resource site on COVID-19 materials. 

Ontario’s health provider website is updated regularly with useful resources.

Ontario’s public website on the COVID-19 is there to inform the general public – encourage your family and friends to access this public website. The WHO has provided an excellent link for you to share with members of the public here.

Health Canada's website provides the best information capturing all of Canada. It contains an outbreak update, Canada's response to the virus, travel advice, symptoms and treatment, and resources for health professionals.

The World Health Organization plays a central role in addressing the COVID-19 pandemic. See here and here.

You can find up-to-date global numbers in Coronavirus COVID-19 Global Cases by Johns Hopkins CSSE.