No images? Click here In This Issue - June 2021
Physicians' CornerThis month's hot topic for the Physicians' Corner is new developments in COVID-19 vaccination! In this month's broadcast, Dr. Hirji answers your questions about
View the video HERE or click on the video image below. -------- Don't forget, up to date information can be found on our FAQs for health care professionals webpage. Check out the 'COVID-19 vaccines', 'testing and self isolation' and 'infection prevention and control' sections for some recent updates and new Q&As. Don't see the response to your question? Call our COVID-19 Health Care Professionals information line Monday - Friday, 9:15 a.m. - 4:15 p.m. at 905-688-8248, press 7 then press 1. UPDATE: COVID-19 Vaccine Program - Primary Care SettingsPrimary care, alongside pharmacy, will be key COVID-19 vaccine distribution channels as we look ahead to the fall. Currently Public Health is receiving a dedicated supply of Moderna for primary care settings. We anticipate the supply to be more stable as the province secures more of this vaccine. With a more predictable supply of Moderna of vaccine, we are finally able to onboard more primary care practices as COVID-19 vaccination sites. And of course with the interchangeability of Pfizer and Moderna now, that means there are many people who have started on a Pfizer schedule who can be completed with a second dose of Moderna in your office. We're looking to onboard all primary care offices over the next little while, so all of you will be able to be delivering vaccine to our population in a place where they have the most trusted person delivering their vaccination. To help you prepare to administer COVID-19 vaccines in your office, we have created a dedicated COVID-19 Vaccines – Primary Care webpage. We encourage you to
Briefly, the onboarding steps you can expect are
Please email HCPengagement@niagararegion.ca if you have questions related to onboarding and to confirm your intent on becoming an approved COVID-19 vaccination site. Your involvement opens up much needed access for Niagara residents to access vaccine appointments and can support in building vaccine confidence among some hesitant patients. Regardless of your role in the COVID-19 vaccine administration program, please continue to ask your patients if they have been vaccinated, explore their concerns, and make a strong recommendation that they receive two doses of a COVID-19 vaccine. Receiving a second vaccine dose is essential to get stronger and longer-term protection against COVID-19. This is particularly important with the delta variant for which one dose provides relatively low protection, but two doses provides very good protection. UPDATE: Niagara Region Mental Health (NRMH) Telemedicine ServiceThe Telemedicine service provides consultation appointments with a psychiatrist through secure video conferencing.
The Telemedicine team will refer the patient to appropriate community services and a summary of recommendations are sent to the referring physician. This shared-care model allows physicians to receive specialist recommendations on what to prescribe as well as diagnostic clarification. Telemedicine is currently accepting new referrals. If you have patients who may benefit from the Telemedicine service, please call the intake line at 905-688-2854, ext. 7262, or complete a referral. UPDATE: Food Borne Illness InvestigationsSummertime activities bring a spike in reports of suspected food borne gastro-intestinal illnesses. Public Health investigates incidences of suspect and confirmed gastro-intestinal illnesses related to consumption of food from restaurants, special events and other food premises, as well as food borne illness from dining at home. At this time, public health is advising symptomatic clients to connect with their physician for testing and treatment where necessary. Symptoms of foodborne illness can include
If you have a patient presenting with GI illness symptoms whom you suspect may have a food borne illness, please have them contact Niagara Region Public Health and Emergency Services directly at 905-688-8248 ext. 7590 to report possible associated food premises for investigation. Reporting Confirmed Cases
REVIEW: Managing Ticks and Lyme disease Within Primary CareWith summer upon us, warm weather and sunnier days lead to an increase in outdoor activities but also heightens risk of encountering ticks. Tick Identification during COVID-19 At this time, our offices remain closed to the public and patients are not able to submit ticks to Public Health for identification. Tick identification services will resume when our offices reopen to the public. In the interim, if you have patients that would like to have their ticks identified, they can
Primary Care Educational Event On April 21, 2021, Niagara Region Public Health hosted a Continuing Medical Education event on ticks and Lyme disease. The webinar features presentations and a Question and Answer session from Keynote Speakers
Missed the session? Watch the “Embedding Knowledge on Lyme Disease” webinar now! Assessing Clients for Lyme Disease Lyme disease is reportable to the Medical Officer of Health under the Health Protection and Promotion Act. If you have a probable case of Lyme disease, please report it to Public Health by next working day. Lyme disease incubation begins 3 to 30 days after initial blacklegged tick bite. Symptoms for Lyme disease may appear in overlapping stages. Early localized Lyme disease may appear as acute illness that can be identified by
Variations of EM are highly indicative for Lyme disease and can appear in various forms. Approximately only 70% of individuals with possible early localized Lyme disease present with EM. Therefore, health care professionals should not solely base diagnosis on the presences of an EM. For information on diagnosis, lab interpretations and treatment for Lyme disease, please review the following:
Post-Exposure Prophylaxis (PEP) PEP can be considered for asymptomatic patients if all of the following criteria are met:
Additional Resources REVIEW: Sexual Health ProgramIn Niagara, there has been a steady increase of sexually transmitted infections (STIs). In 2020, Niagara’s cases for sexually transmitted and blood borne pathogens infections were
*Please note the data is preliminary and subject to change. Service Updates The Sexual Health program continues to have limited services available with resources deployed to pandemic response activities. The following clinical adjustments have been made:
If you are referring patients to the Sexual Health Centre, please have them call 905-688-3817 or 1-800-263-5757 before accessing services. STI Testing and Treatment In-person appointments for patients with STI symptoms are still encouraged. Please accommodate same day appointments when possible. For information on STI testing and treatment for your practice please refer to the following:
As a reminder, Niagara Region Public Health does not have access to lab results for patients. To learn about specific test information, visit Public Health Ontario Laboratory or call their customer service at 1-877-604-4567. For more information, call the Sexual Health Centre’s Health Care Provider Info-Line at 905-688-8248 ext. 7720.
FEEDBACK OPPORTUNITYDon't miss out! Final week to provide your feedback! Obstetricians, Family Physicians and Midwives are often the first point of contact for expectant mothers. During their first trimester of pregnancy, nearly 95% of pregnant women in 2020 sought prenatal care from these primary care practitioners (BORN, 2020). However, across the Niagara region, the percentage of women who indicated they received some form of prenatal education remains low (27%), with prenatal education uptake below the provincial average (32%) (BORN, 2020). To improve the use of prenatal education and support services offered by Public Health, we are looking for feedback from prenatal healthcare providers. To better tailor the region’s prenatal programs and services to the needs of our population, we are asking that you complete an online survey that will take approximately 15 minutes. The survey will remain open until July 7, 2021. MEDICAL ADVISORIES & MEMOS
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