COVID-19

Guidance for the Health Sector

Last reviewed	January 21, 2022
Last updated	January 21, 2022

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 January 17, 2022. This information may change frequently, please check back often for updates.

Case Definition

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. Travellers who are fully vaccinated and meet specific requirements may be exempt from quarantine requirements as per federal guidelines. 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

Document title	Date
COVID-19 Operational Requirements: Health Sector Restart	June 15, 2020
Infection Prevention and Control Hubs	November 10, 2020
Guidance for Acute Care	June 15, 2020
Guidance for Community Labs and Specimen Collection Centres	March 29, 2020
Guidance for Consumption and Treatment Services	April 16, 2020
Guidance for Home and Community Care Providers	May 21, 2021
Guidance for Hospice Care	November 12, 2020
Guidance for Independent Health Facilities	June 19, 2020
Guidance for Labour, Delivery and Newborn Care : Maternal-Neonatal COVID-19 General Guideline Maternal-Neonatal COVID-19 Pregnancy Care Guideline	July 22, 2021
Guidance for Mental Health and Addictions Service Providers in Community Settings	September 24, 2020
Guidance for Paramedic Services	October 1, 2020
Guidance for Primary Care Providers in a Community Setting	October 19, 2021
Guidance for Immunization Services During COVID-19	October 28, 2021

Long-Term Care Home / Retirement Homes Resources

Document title	Date
RHRA Recommendation for Asymptomatic COVID-19 Testing for Retirement Homes	July 16, 2021
COVID-19 Guidance: Long-Term Care Homes and Retirement Homes for Public Health Units	January 21, 2022
Screening Tool for Long-Term Care Homes and Retirement Homes	January 11, 2022
Guidance for mask use in long- term care homes and retirement homes	April 15, 2020
Retirement Homes Policy to Implement Directive #3	December 27, 2021
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 Screening Tool videos for the hearing impaired Introduction Screening Question 1 Screening Question 2 Results	December 3, 2021
Guidance for Employers Managing Workers with Symptoms within 48 Hours of COVID-19 Immunization	November 30, 2021
COVID-19 Guidance: Testing of Individuals in Pharmacies	November 18, 2021
Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Testing - PHO	April 18, 2020
Considerations for Privately-Initiated Testing	May 21, 2021
COVID-19 Reference Document for Symptoms	January 4, 2022
COVID-19 Patient Screening Guidance Document	August 26, 2021
COVID-19 Screening Tool for Workplaces (Customer screening)	October 25, 2021
COVID-19 Screening Tool for Workplaces (Worker and employee screening)	October 25, 2021
COVID-19 Signage Questions for Businesses and Organizations	January 18, 2022

Case and Contact Management Resources

Document title	Date
COVID-19: Interim Guidance for Schools and Child Care: Omicron Surge	January 10, 2022
COVID-19 Integrated Testing & Case, Contact and Outbreak Management Interim Guidance: Omicron Surge	January 14, 2022
COVID-19 Interim Guidance: Omicron Surge Management of Critical Staffing Shortages in Highest Risk Settings	January 12, 2022
Management of Cases and Contacts of COVID-19 in Ontario	August 11, 2021
COVID-19 Fully Immunized and Previously Positive Individuals: Case, Contact and Outbreak Management Interim Guidance	October 12, 2021
Appendix 1: Ontario's Severe Acute Respiratory Infection (SARI) Case Report Form	June 23, 2020
Appendix 2: Route Activities Prompt Worksheet – Case	June 23, 2020
Appendix 3: Daily Clinical Update Form – Acute Care Setting	June 23, 2020
Appendix 4: Daily Clinical Update Form – Household Setting	June 23, 2020
Appendix 5: Close Contact Tracing Worksheet	June 23, 2020
Appendix 6: Close Contact Daily Clinical Update Form	June 23, 2020
Appendix 7: Self-Isolation for COVID-19 Cases or Other Individuals in the Household	June 23, 2020
Appendix 8: Cases with Positive COVID-19 Serology Results and Management of Cases with Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children (MIS-C) Temporally Associated with COVID-19	February 18, 2021
Appendix 10: Case & Contact Management COVID-19 Surge Support Model	January 21, 2021
Appendix 11: High Risk Contact Flow Chart	August 11, 2021

Mental Health Resources

Document title	Date
Mental Health Resources for Camp Operators	July 13, 2021
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
Proof of Vaccination Guidance for Businesses and Organizations under the Reopening Ontario Act – Questions and Answers	November 16, 2021
COVID-19 Safety Guidelines for: Camps	December 21, 2021
COVID-19 Guidance: School Outbreak Management	August 11, 2021
Guidance on Community Emergency Evacuations	July 6, 2021
COVID-19 Guidance: Congregate Living for Vulnerable Populations	November 29, 2021
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: Workplace Outbreaks	October 5, 2021
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 businesses and health care settings.

Document title	Date
Proof of Vaccination Poster - English Colour Black and White	September 21, 2021
Proof of Vaccination Poster - French Colour Black and White	September 21, 2021
Patients - English	August 26, 2021
Patients - French	August 26, 2021
Visitors - English	August 26, 2021
Visitors - French	August 26, 2021

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

Ministry Status: Activation Status