Blog

Dear Members,
We hope you are all doing well and staying safe as we all navigate through this current wave of COVID-19, while closely monitoring the situation concerning monkeypox cases that have been reported in Europe, the US and now in Quebec and Ontario. Please find attached the following information from the Chief Medical Officer of Health:

• CMOH memo on monkeypox
• Chief Medical Officer of Health (CMOH) Order under section 77.6 of the Health Protection and Promotion Act
• Infection Prevention and Control Recommendations for Monkeypox in Health Care Settings

As the Ministry continues to learn more about this disease, we will ensure that we will share any information that we do receive. In the meantime, we all know COVID-19 is not over and this particular wave has had a tremendous impact on HHR capacity. We hope you’re all staying safe and getting outdoors for some fresh air after a long winter.

In the meantime, vaccination continues for COVID-19. The Ministry has shared the most recent update on Vaccine Implementation in Primary Care (week of May 16th). In this slide deck you will see that vaccination numbers for fourth doses for 60+, third doses for over 12+ and second doses for 5- to 11-year-olds are seeing only gradual moves. Discussion is also just starting on planning for vaccination for the under 5-year-old age group, which will rely very heavily on primary care and pediatricians. To better understand the current state and to start the planning process, please take a moment and fill in this very quick vaccine survey so we can ensure we set up the sector is supported in this next phase of vaccination: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/May2022VaccineSurvey. Please fill in by June 3, 2022, if possible.

In the meantime, please find below some additional information and updates.

Evusheld and Paxlovid

• Evusheld, a prophylactic treatment authorized for the prevention of COVID-19 in immunocompromised individuals, has been available for several weeks. From Ontario Health:
  • Memo on how to access Evusheld EN FR
  • Information about Evusheld (Tixagevimab and Cilgavimab) EN
  • Patient Handout EN FR
• Materials related to prescribing Paxlovid, an oral antiviral medication that can help reduce the risk of hospitalization or death in people at higher risk of serious illness due to COVID-19, has already been shared but here are materials you may find of interest:
• From Ontario Health:
  • Memo to primary care providers – Tools for identifying high-risk patients eligible for Paxlovid (April 29, 2022) EN FR
  • Guidance for health care providers: Access to COVID-19 antiviral treatment (April 11, 2022) EN FR
  • Patient handout – Antiviral treatment (April 11, 2022) EN FR
  • Paxlovid use in patients with advanced chronic kidney disease and patients on dialysis with COVID-19 ( April 13, 2022) EN FR
• From the Science Advisory Table and the University of Waterloo School of Pharmacy – What Prescribers and Pharmacists Need to Know and Paxlovid for a Patient on a Direct Oral Anticoagulant
• eHealth Centre of Excellence Paxlovid prescription form for Telus PS Suite, OSCAR and Accuro EMRs

Vaccines

• Updated COVID-19 Vaccine Administration guidance from the Ministry of Health (April 29, 2022) EN FR
• Novavax is available through local PHUs for patients who are unable or unwilling to receive mRNA vaccines
• From there Ontario Medical Association (for physicians) – a new resource on Indigenous patients and COVID-19 vaccine distrust (sign in to access), including practical steps to gain understanding and build cultural safety into your practice. This resource was co-designed with the IPHCC.

Other Resources and Supports

• From the eHealth Centre of Excellence, a new post COVID-19 condition EMR tool (for Telus PS Suite and soon Oscar) that captures and tracks the progression of symptoms associated with the condition over time. This tool will allow you build a comprehensive plan based on symptoms – you do need to log into the community portal to download.
• A reminder of the excellent tools on the Confused About Covid by OCFP/UofT DFCM that has a number of practical resources for patients.

Events
PHO Primary Care IPAC Community of Practice

Public Health Ontario is hosting a community of practice series that will review key concepts and support resources for Infection Prevention and Control (IPAC) in Primary Care settings. Intended for those who oversee or implement IPAC in Primary Care settings, the series will be held over four sessions starting late May. Find your regions and more here.

• Register here for the West Primary Care Series.
• Register here for the Central West Primary Care Series.
• Register here for the Central Primary Care Series.
• Register here for the East Primary Care Series.
• Register here for the North Primary Care Series.

Ontario College of Family Physicians/University of Toronto DFCM Community of Practice
Next COVID-19 Community of Practice will be held on Friday, May 27th starting at 7:55 a.m. and will include speakers:  

• Dr. Jeff Kwong, Epidemiologist, Family Physician, Toronto Western Family Health Team, Toronto, ON
• Dr. Gerald Evans, Infectious Disease Specialist and Chair of the Division of Infectious Diseases, Queen’s University, Kingston, ON
• Dr. Daniel Warshafsky, Senior Medical Consultant at the Office of the Chief Medical Officer of Health, Toronto, ON

A short update on what you need to know about Monkeypox will also be discussed. Please register here.

Ontario Health
A reminder that the Primary Care and COVID-19 Support CoP Monthly Series is held every second Wednesday of the month from 8:00 to 9:00 a.m. Click here to register.

Once again thank you for all you are doing to keep your patients and the community safe. If you need any assistance or have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us. Stay safe.

Yours in good health,
The AFHTO Team