Updates on the novel coronavirus

​The OHA developed this webpage to keep members apprised of recent Ministry of Health updates regarding the novel coronavirus, and to highlight relevant resources for members. It is important to note that the health system is well-prepared to respond to this type of issue. As the situation unfolds, officials from the Ministry and public health, including the Chief Medical Officer of Health, remain in close contact with health care providers and partners across the system, including the OHA. This includes daily stakehholder calls to share information, guidance, and address any challenges, should they arise.

Related OHA Communications

Please note that some of the bulletins below are members only. Please sign in to OHA.com/news to view all bulletins.

• June 1, 2020 - COVID Update Bulletin (members only)
• May 30, 2020 - New emergency Order on Pandemic Pay (members only)
• May 29, 2020 - New Ministry Guidelines on Implementation of Pandemic Pay (members only)
• May 28, 2020 - Pandemic Pay Update (members only)
• May 28, 2020 - Services, Resources, Guidance Bulletin
• May 27, 2020 - COVID-19 Update
• May 26, 2020 - Directive #2 Amended to Allow Gradual Restart of Elective Surgeries and Procedures
• May 26, 2020 - COVID-19 Update
• May 25, 2020 - COVID-19 Update
• May 24, 2020 - Additional Direction on Testing Strategy
• May 22, 2020 - New Memo re. Hospitals Assisting and Managing Long-Term Care Homes (members only)
• May 21, 2020 - Services, Resources, Guidance Bulletin
• May 19, 2020 - COVID-19 Update
• May 15, 2020 - COVID-19 Update (members only)
• May 14, 2020 - Redeployment of Broader Public Sector Workers during COVID-19 (members only)
• May 14, 2020 - Services, Resources, Guidance Bulletin
• May 13, 2020 - COVID-19 Update
• May 13, 2020 - New Emergency Order Allowing Mandatory Management of Certain Long-Term Care Homes
• May 11, 2020 - Daily COVID-19 Update
• May 8, 2020 - Daily COVID-19 Update
• May 7, 2020 - Services, Resources, Guidance Bulletin
• May 7, 2020 - Pandemic Pay and OHA's Advice to Hospitals (members only)
• May 6, 2020 - Daily COVID-19 Update
• May 5, 2020 - Daily COVID-19 Update
• May 4, 2020 - Daily COVID-19 Update (members only)
• May 2, 2020 - OHA/HIROC Guidance on Redeployment to LTC (members only)
• May 1, 2020 - Daily COVID-19 Update
• April 30, 2020 - Daily COVID-19 Update
• April 29, 2020 - Daily COVID-19 Update (members only)
• April 28, 2020 - Daily COVID-19 Update
• April 27, 2020 - Daily COVID-19 Update (members only)
• April 25, 2020 - New Measures to Facilitate Urgent Response for Long-Term Care (members only)
• April 24, 2020 - New Q & A on PPE (members only)
• April 24, 2020 - Daily COVID-19 Update
• April 23, 2020 - Daily COVID-19 Bulletin (members only)
• April 23, 2020 - Services, Resources, Guidance Bulletin
• April 22, 2020 - Daily COVID-19 Update
• April 21, 2020 - Update on Activity around PPE (members only)
• April 20, 2020 - Daily COVID-19 Update
• April 19, 2020 - Updated Guidance to Assist Hospitals in Providing Support to LTC Homes (members only)
• April 18, 2020 - Guidance to Assist Hospitals Providing Support to LTC Homes (members only)
• April 17, 2020 - Daily COVID-19 Update
• April 16, 2020 - Daily COVID-19 Update
• April 15, 2020 - Daily COVID-19 Update
• April 14, 2020 - Daily COVID-19 Update (members only)
• April 13, 2020 - EDR in Hospitals Webinar Material (members only)
• April 13, 2020 - Daily COVID-19 Update
• April 10, 2020 - Revised Directive #5 on PPE
• April 10, 2020 - Daily COVID-19 Update
• April 9, 2020 - Daily COVID-19 Update
• April 9, 2020 - Services, Resources, Guidance Bulletin
• April 8, 2020 - Triage Protocol, Pandemic Response Teams, N95 Reprocessing and More (members only)
• April 8, 2020 - Upcoming Webinars for Hospitals from the Office of the Chief Coroner of Ontario
• April 7, 2020 - New Ontario Health Workforce Matching Portal
• April 6, 2020 - New Ontario Health Memo re: Use of Alternate Health Facilities and Temporary Structures
• April 5, 2020 - Daily COVID-19 Update (members only)
• April 3, 2020 - Daily COVID-19 (members only)
• April 2, 2020 - Daily COVID-19 Update
• April 2, 2020 - Services, Resources, Guidance Bulletin
• April 1, 2020 - Daily COVID-19 Update (members only)
• March 31, 2020 - March 30 Directive and Guidance Concerning PPE (members only)
• March 31, 2020 - Daily COVID-19 Update
• March 30, 2020 - CMOH Releases Additional Directive on PPE (members only)
• March 30, 2020 - Daily COVID-19 Update (members only)
• March 29, 2020 - Daily COVID-19 Updates 
• March 28, 2020 - Ministry Order on Personal Protective Equipment
• March 27, 2020 - Daily COVID-19 Updates
• March 26, 2020 - Services, Resources, Guidance Bulletin
• March 26, 2020 - New Ministry Memo for Hospitals and COVID-19 Updates
• March 25, 2020 - Finance Minister Releases Action Plan: Responding to COVID-19
• March 24, 2020 - Ontario Government Announces New Temporary Order for Long-Term Care
• March 24, 2020 - Updates on COVID-19, Including New List of Essential Services
• March 23, 2020 - Daily COVID-19 Update (members only)
• March 22, 2020 - Government Issues Order under EMCPA
• March 21, 2020 - Government Announces Order under EMCPA
• March 21, 2020 - OHA Issues Public Statement on COVID-19
• March 20, 2020 - Daily Update on COVID-19
• March 19, 2020 - Services, Resources, Guidance Bulletin
• March 19, 2020 - CMOH Recommendations on Managing Health Worker Travel and Return to Work
• March 18, 2020 - Update on COVID-19 (members only)
• March 17, 2020 - Wrap-Up Bulletin on COVID-19 (members only)
• March 17, 2020 - Survey on Hospital Capacity (members only)
• March 17, 2020 - Ontario Declares State of Emergency
• March 16, 2020 - New Government Announcements on COVID-19
• March 16, 2020 - Notices on PPE Directive (members only)
• March 16, 2020 - New Ontario Health Memo on Ramping Down Elective Surgeries
• March 15, 2020 - Ontario Government Asks Hospitals to Carefully Ramp Down Elective Surgeries
• March 14, 2020 - Recent Updates from Government on COVID-19
• March 13, 2020 - OHA HHR Guidance (members only)
• March 13, 2020 - Special Edition: Services, Resources, Guidance Bulletin
• March 12, 2020 - CMOH Directive on PPE
• March 12, 2020 - Services, Resources, Guidance Bulletin
• March 10, 2020 - Update on Travel Guidance (members only)
• March 9, 2020 - Update on COVID-19 Preparations and Actions
• March 5, 2020 - Services, Resources, Guidance Bulletin
• February 16, 2020 - Clarification: Provincial Case Definition COVID-19
• February 13, 2020 - Services, Resources, Guidance Bulletin
• February 1, 2020 - Novel Coronavirus – Updated Case Count and Release of Guidance Resources
• January 30, 2020 - Updates on the Novel Coronavirus
• January 27, 2020 - New OHA Web Page for Provider Updates on the Novel Coronavirus
• January 26, 2020 - Q&A on Ontario's First Presumptive Confirmed Case of Novel Coronavirus
• January 25, 2020 - First Presumptive Case of Novel Coronavirus Confirmed in Ontario
• January 24, 2020 - Services, Resources, Guidance Bulletin
• January 23, 2020 - Novel Coronavirus Added as Mandatory Reportable Disease
• January 10, 2020 -  CMOH Memo re: Novel Coronavirus in China 

OHA members can direct their questions to Melissa Prokopy, Director, Legal, Policy and Professional Issues, at mprokopy@oha.com or 416-205-1565.

OHA Resources

• Summary of Legislative Changes Related to COVID-19
• Hospital Redeployment to Long-Term Care Homes (members only)
• Management Orders for Long-Term Care Homes - Backgrounder
• Ontario Announces Support for Workers, Municipalities and Retailers in Response to COVID-19 - Backgrounder
• Emergency Management and Civil Protection Act and COVID-19 - Backgrounder
• The Latest Research and Information on COVID-19 (Resource Page)
• Strengthening Mental Health and Wellness During COVID-19 (Resource Page)
• Emergency Management Toolkit: Each level of government (federal, provincial, municipal and local) has an important role to play in the preparedness and response to emergencies. A detailed overview of those responsibilities can be found on page 5 of the OHA's Toolkit.

Government Resources

• General Ministry of Health Resources
• Website: www.ontario.ca/coronavirus (new version) 
• Childcare: Website for emergency childcare for health care and frontline staff
• Directives: All current Directives issued by the MOH are posted here
• HHR Resources: Health Workforce Matching Portal
• Ontario Health Workforce Matching Portal One-Pager for Health Care Providers
• Training Guide for Health Care Providers
• FAQ for Health Care Providers
• Online workplace PPE supplier directory
• Lab Testing: Testing Guidance Update (May 28)
• Testing and Clearance: Quick Reference document  (May 28)
• Case Definition: Updated Case Definition for Novel Coronavirus (May 11) - French
• COVID-19 Reference Document for Symptoms (May 25)
• COVID-19 Patient Screening Guidance Document (May 17)
• Guidance for Occupational Health and Safety (March 20)
• Acute care guidance (other MOH guidance documents are available here)
• Guidance for Acute Care (May 11) 
• Directive 5 for public hospitals (See Ontario Health Guidance below for supportive documents)
•  Directive 1 to Health Care Providers (March 30)
• The CMOH Directive #2 (May 25): Amended to reflect the gradual restart of all deferred and non-essential and elective services carried out by health care providers.
• COVID-19 Operational Requirements: Health Sector Restart: Outlines measures that must be in place for the provision of in-person health services by health care providers. (May 26)
• Also see below, OH guidance framework: A Measured Approach to Planning for Surgeries and Procedures During the COVID-19 Pandemic
• Related guidance:
• Guidance document (Information on the use of N95 filtering face respirators beyond the manufacturer-designated shelf life)
• Div. Ct. Decision on Hospital Visitor Restrictions
• Divisional Court of Ontario Decision in Sprague v. Her Majesty the Queen in Right of Ontario - Backgrounder
• Long-Term Care:
• Updated Directive #3 to Long-Term Care Homes (May 23) - Reflects new testing guidance and strengthened screening, testing and outbreak management
• Control of Respiratory Infection Outbreaks in Long-Term Care Homes, 2018
• Minister's Directive: COVID-19: Supporting Long-Term Care Homes (April 24)
• COVID-19 Screening Tool for Long-Term Care Homes and Retirement Homes (May 6)
• Emergency Orders Issued on April 15 re. LTC: here, here and here.
• LTC Guidance Document (April 15)
• Guidance on long-term care outbreaks (April 15) 
• Guidance document for LTCHs and RHs on Mask Use
• Ontario Health Guidance (other resources are posted on the OH website, along with Health System Response Table Updates):
• Optimizing the Supply of Personal Protective Equipment During the COVID-19 Pandemic (May 10)
• Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) Use During the COVID-19 Pandemic (May 10)
• A Measured Approach to Planning for Surgeries and Procedures During the COVID-19 Pandemic (May 7)
• Frequently Asked Questions for CMOH COVID-19 Directive #5 (March 30)
• COVID-19 Health Care Worker Multi-Employer Recommendations (March 30)
• Retirees re-joining the workforce to support the COVID-19 Pandemic response (March 27)
• Workplace Accommodation for At-Risk Front-Line Health Care Providers (March 27)
• Public Health Ontario (PHO) resources:
• Public Health Ontario (PHO) has updated their site related to COVID-19 testing including an updated list of accepted swab types.
• Specimen Collection and Handling 
• Additional resources from PHO are available to assist hospitals in the triage, screening, patient management, and testing in acute care settings
• Technical brief: IPAC Recommendations for Use of PPE for Care of Individuals with Suspect or Confirmed COVID-19
• COVID-19 Bioethics Resources: Latest resources can be found here.
• Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) resources:
• Latest travel advice
• Information for health professionals (e.g., details on transmission, detection and reporting, infection prevention and control, and treatment)
• Health Canada has released an FAQ document regarding Subsection 56(1) Class Exemption for Patients, Practitioners and Pharmacists Prescribing and Providing Controlled Substances in Canada during the Coronavirus Pandemic.
• Public Resources (View PHO's Public Resources):
• COVID-19 - What you need to know (French)
• COVID-19 Self-Monitor Fact Sheet (French)
• Self-Isolation Fact Sheet (French)
• Guidance for Caregivers (French)
• PHO Fact sheets on Physical Distancing (French) and Taking Care of Yourself and Each Other (French)
• When and How to Wear a Mask (French)
• Patient and Visitor signage is available on the Ministry's website.
• Talking to Children About the Pandemic
• Resources for Ontarians Experiencing Mental Health and Addictions Issues During the Pandemic
• COVID-19 Health Literacy Project: This initiative was started by a first-year medical student at Harvard Medical School, and quickly expanded into a national coalition of over 150 medical students representing over 35 institutions and 34 languages. In an effort to help patients from vulnerable communities know when and how to seek care, they created and translated accessible COVID-19 information into different languages. All their materials are reviewed and vetted by faculty members at Harvard Medical School, and are created in collaboration with Harvard Health Publishing.

Ministry Communications To Date

For other government news related to COVID-19, visit the Ministry's website.

• Memo: Testing Strategy (May 24)
• Command Table Summary (May 19)
• Ontario Health: Health System Response Table Update #4 (May 16)
• Command Table Summary (May 15)
• Command Table Summary (May 13)
• Command Table Summary (May 11)
• Command Table Summary (May 8)
• Command Table Summary (May 6)
• OH Memo: A Measured Approach to Planning for Surgeries and Procedures During the COVID-19 Pandemic (May 7) - View government release
• Command Table Summary (May 4)
• Command Table Summary (May 1)
• News Release: New temporary emergency orders under the EMCPA to support the immediate needs of the province's hospitals and health care worker (May 1)
• Command Table Summary (April 29)
• Ontario Health: Health System Response Table Upate #3 (April 29)
• Memo: Transfer of Hospital Patients and Community Clients to Long-Term Care Homes (April 29)
• Command Table Summary (April 27)
• Emergency Order to support Hospitals in Assisting Long Term Care Response (April 25)
• Command Table Summary (April 24)
• Memo: Transfer of Hospital Patients to Retirement Homes (April 23)
• Command Table Summary (April 23)
• Ontario Health: Health System Response Table Upate #2 (April 22)
• Memo re: Testing in Long-Term Care Homes (April 20)
• Command Table Summary (April 20)
• Command Table Summary (April 17)
• Memo: Hospital Supports to Long-term Care (April 17) 
• Memo: Ontario Regulation 257/00 Amendments under the Ambulance Act: Reducing Barriers to Ensure Sufficient Ambulance Service Personnel During Provincial Declarations of Emergency (April 17)
• Command Table Summary (April 15)
• Memo: Temporarily stop all transfers from hospitals to LTCHs and RHs (April 15)
• Memo: Additional support for Long Term Care Homes (LTCHs) and Retirement Homes (RH) (April 15)
• Command Tably Summary (April 13)
• Memo: Temporary Physician Funding for Hospitals During COVID-19 Outbreak (April 10) - Appendix
• Command Table Summary (April 10)
• Ontario Health: Health System Response Table Upate #1 (April 8)
• Command Table Summary (April 6)
• Memo (French): Deputy Minister of Health to the Collaboration and Command Tables re: PPE (April 6)
• Memo: Use of Alternate Health Facilities and Temporary Structures such as Field Hospitals and Conference Centres (April 6)
• Command Table Summary (April 3)
• Stakeholder Collaboration Table Summary (April 2)
• Memo: Use of Hotels and Retirement Homes (April 2) - Guidance Document
• Command Table Summary (April 1)
• Command Table Summary (March 30)
• Joint statement (Government and the Ontario Nurses' Association re: health and safety measures in hospitals)
• Memo: Guidance by Sector – Hospitals (March 30)
• Roll-up of all guidance/directives/memos issued to date for hospitals
• Memo: Tracking and payment for hospital and physician services provided to uninsured patients during COVID-19 (March 30) - OMA FAQ
• Memo: Hospital Classifications under s. 32.1(1) of the Public Hospitals Act during the COVID-19 emergency (March 28)
• Memo: Update on COVID-19 Preparations: Supplies and Equipment (March 28)
• Minister's Order directing health system providers to report PPE inventories (March 27)
• Command Table Summary (March 27)
• Letter: General approval under subsection 4(2) of the Public Hospitals Act for COVID-19 capacity expansion (March 26)
• Command Table Summary (March 25)
• Memo: Amendments to Ontario Regulation 79/10 under the LongTerm Care Homes Act, 2007 related to the COVID-19 Pandemic – Admissions and Discharge (See associated FAQs) (March 24)
• Order under the EMCPA for LTC Homes (March 23)
• Command Table Summary (March 23)
• CMOH Directive for Long-Term Care (March 23)
• Order under the EMCPA for Hospitals (March 21)
• Clarification around the Hospital Redeployment order (Regulation 74/20 under the Emergency Management and Civil Protection Act) can be found here.
• Notice: ODB Program Changes and Guidance for Dispensers during the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency (March 20)
• Command Table Summary (March 20)
• Report from Collaboration Table Meeting held Thursday, March 19, 2020
• CMOH Directive to Regulated Health Care Providers on Ramping Down Elective Surgeries and Non-emergent Activities (March 19)
• CMOH Memo: COVID-19 Updates - Visitors at Acute Care Settings (March 19)
• CMOH Memo: ACES/eCTAS COVID-19 surveillance (March 19)
• Improving COVID Surveillance within ACES (March 19)
• CMOH Memo: Managing Health Worker Illness and Return to Work COVID-19 (March 19)
• CMOH Memo: Supporting Expansion of Virtual Home Care Delivery (March 18)
• Command Table Summary (March 18)
• Ontario Enacts Declaration of Emergency to Protect the Public (News release)
• Command Table Summary (March 16) 
• CMOH Memo: Ramping Down Elective Surgeries and Other Non-Emergent Activities (March 15)
• CMOH Memo to Long-Term Care Homes, Retirement Homes, Supportive Housing, Hospices and other congregate care settings (March 13)
• CMOH Letter on Enhanced Public Measures for COVID-19 (March 12)
• CMOH Directive on PPE (March 12 - Note that this has been updated - see Acute Care guidance documents above)
• Updated IPAC Recommendations for Use of Personal Protective Equipment for Care of Individuals with Suspect or Confirmed COVID-19 (French)
• Command Table Summary (March 12)
• Memo to the Long-Term Care Homes Sector (March 9)
• Command Table Summary (March 9)
• Command Table Summary (March 6)
  
• February 12, 2020 memo from CMOH Dr. David Williams
• January 23, 2020 letter from CMOH Dr. Barbara Yaffe
• January 10, 2020 letter from Chief Medical Officer of Health (CMOH) Dr. Barbara Yaffe

System Partner/Hospital Resources & Other Resources

• Canadian Institute for Health Information:
• ICD-10-CA coding direction COVID-19 (French)
• CorHealth: COVID-19 Resource Centre
• Covid Care Learning: Educational resources have been developed and posted on www.covidcarelearning.ca to assist organizations that are continuing to plan for redeployment to the meet the needs for COVID-19 care. This website was created with the support of the Ontario healthcare and education communities to provide key resources to prepare healthcare professionals who will be treating Ontarians impacted by COVID-19. These resources are intended for anyone in the hospital or long-term care sector, including those involved in the care of COVID-19 and other critically ill patients or residents. Read a previous OHA bulletin for instructions on loggin in.
• Innovative Medicines Canada COVID-19 Resource Centre
• The website will feature the many contributions from members who are testing for COVID-19, discovering new treatments and vaccines, and will also contain a section on drug shortages. It  will be updated daily with new and relevant information.
• Intubation Boxes: Klick is offering free intubation boxes, delivered at no cost to hospitals. Click here for more information.
• Michael Garron Hospital: Checklist (sample) for supporting LTC homes (prevention workstreams)
• Ontario College of Family Physicians: Resource Page
• Ontario College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario
• Physician Resource page
• FAQ: Updated regularly to provide advice/guidance on key issues CPSO is hearing about and where joint messaging could be helpful.
• Ontario Community Support Association: New Community Support Program Provides Help for Vulnerable Seniors in Isolation
• Ontario Medical Association:
• Summary of Guidance for Primary Care Providers in Community-Based Settings (OMA)
• BookJane - OMA's technology solution to help manage physician demand in hospitals and other healthcare facilities (Registration and User Guide)
• Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre:
• Diagnosis and Management of First Case of COVID-19 in Canada: Lessons applied from SARS
• What can early Canadian experience screening for COVID-19 teach us about how to prepare for a pandemic?
• University Health Network: Click here to access a set of resources developed by UHN featuring tips to ensure inclusion and equity for marginalized community members during COVID-19.
• University of Toronto: University of Toronto Engineering researchers have developed Redeploy, a tool that optimizes and automates the matching of available staff to jobs that need to be filled throughout the hospital.

Global Resources

• Health Maps
• https://www.healthmap.org/ncov2019/
• John's Hopkins Heat Map

• Centre for Disease Control and Prevention:
• Strategies for Optimizing the Supply of N95 Respirators

• CDC: Mental Health and Coping During COVID-19 (Supporting yourself, children, responders and people released from quarantine)

• NEJM Article: Fair Allocation of Scarce Medical Resources in the Time of Covid-19

• WHO Resources
• To increase access to reliable information, WHO has worked with WhatsApp and Facebook to launch a new WHO Health Alert messaging service. This service will provide the latest news and information on COVID-19, including details on symptoms and how to protect yourself. The Health Alert service is now available in English and will be introduced in other languages next week. To access it, send the word "hi" to the following number on WhatsApp: +41 798 931 892.
• Interim Guidance: Rational use of personal protective equipment for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)
• Situation Reports
• Technical Guidance
• Coronavirus Mythbusters (Including infographics for download)
• WHO Info Video
• FAQ about the virus 
• WHO guidance support for mental and psychological well-being during COVID-19
• Case Report Form for suspected cases of multisystem inflammatory syndrome (MIS) in children and adolescents temporally related to COVID-19
• WHO Online Education
• Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) for Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19): This course provides information on what facilities should be doing to be prepared to respond to a case of an emerging respiratory virus such as the novel coronavirus, how to identify a case once it occurs, and how to properly implement IPC measures to ensure there is no further transmission to HCW or to other patients and others in the healthcare facility.
  This training is intended for healthcare workers and public health professionals, as it is focused on infection prevention and control. 
• Emerging respiratory viruses, including 2019-nCoV: methods for detection, prevention, response and control: This course provides a general introduction to 2019-nCoV and emerging respiratory viruses and is intended for public health professionals, incident managers and personnel working for the United Nations, international organizations and NGOs. WHO teams are working to translate the resources into all WHO official languages and Portuguese. Many countries have also initiated translation into their own local languages.