Coronavirus (COVID-19)
National and International Guidance Documents

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Canadian and International guidelines, policies and standards that Infection Prevention and Control professionals may use to support their own documentation and best practices during the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Government of Canada 

• COVID-19 Resources and Checklists (PHAC, Accreditation Canada and HSO)
• PHAC COVID-19 Vaccine Newsletter registration: HC-PHAC.PublicEducation-Educationpublique.SC-ASPC@hc-sc.gc.ca.
• SARS-CoV-2 variants: National definitions, classifications and public health actions
• Mathematical modelling and COVID-19
• Federal/Provincial/Territorial Public Health Response Plan for Ongoing Management of COVID-19
• Outbreak Update
• COVID-10 Symptoms and Treatments
• COVID-19 signs, symptoms and severity of disease: A clinician guide
• COVID-19: Main modes of transmission
• COVID-19 Prevention and risks
• Coronavirus disease (COVID-19): Canada’s Response
• COVID-19: Travel, testing and borders
• Chief Public Health Officer of Canada's Report on the State of Public Health in Canada 2020 -From risk to resilience: An equity approach to COVID-19 
• Race-Based Data Collection and Health Reporting
• Pan-Canadian COVID-19  Response to COVID-19
• Pan-Canadian COVID-19 Testing and Screening Guidance: Technical guidance and implementation plan
• Pan-Canadian virtual care priorities in response to COVID-19
• Mental Illness during the Pandemic: Survey on COVID-19 and Mental Health
• COVID-19 and deaths in older Canadians: Excess mortality and the impacts of age and comorbidity
•  Frequency and impact of longer-term symptoms following COVID-19 in Canadian adult
•  Impact of COVID-19 in adults with chronic conditions: Emergency department visits
• Impacts of COVID-19 on Canadian nursing homes and seniors’ homes in 2021
•  COVID-19 mortality among racialized populations in Canada and its association with income
• Unmet health care needs during the pandemic and resulting impacts among First Nations people living off reserve, Métis and Inuit
•  Infographic: Examining how changes in alcohol and cannabis consumption varied by experiences of stigma during the COVID-19 pandemic in Canada
• Inequalities in the mental health of adults before and during the COVID-19 pandemic: data tool

COVID-19 Guidance in Healthcare Settings

• COVID-19 Pandemic Guidance for the Health Care Sector
• COVID-19 for Health Professionals
• COVID-19 Vaccination Tool Kit for Health Care Providers
• Infection prevention and control for COVID-19: Interim guidance for acute healthcare settings
• Update with Consideration of Omicron – Interim COVID-19 Infection Prevention and Control Government of Canada announces additional measures to contain the spread of the Omicron variant in the health care setting when COVID-19 is suspected or confirmed– December 23, 2021
• Infection prevention and control for COVID-19: Interim guidance for outpatient and ambulatory care settings
• Infection Prevention and Control for COVID-19: Interim Guidance for Long Term Care Homes
• Infection Prevention and Control for COVID-19: Interim Guidance for Home Care Settings
• Infection prevention and control recommendations for medical evacuation by aircraft of patients with suspected or confirmed COVID-19 from remote and isolated communities in Canada’s North 
• Guidance for repeated PCR testing in individuals previously positive for COVID-19
• Using Ventilation and filtration to reduce aerosol transmission of COVID-19 in long-term care homes
• Ventilation helps protect against the spread of COVID-19
• Public health management of cases and contacts associated with COVID-19  
• Social inequalities in COVID-19 deaths in Canada

COVID-19 Guidance During Pregnancy

• Statement on Pregnant Workers during the COVID-19 Pandemic (SOGC)
• COVID-19 and Pregnancy (SOGC)
• Statement on COVID-19 Vaccination in Pregnancy (SOGC)

Laboratory and Supply Chain Guidance during the COVID-19 Pandemic

• National laboratory testing indication guidance for COVID-19
• Testing devices for COVID-19: Overview
• Interim guidance on the use of rapid antigen detection tests for the identification of SARS-CoV-2 infection
• National polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing indication guidance for COVID-19
• Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety -Coronavirus
• Supplying the Canadian healthcare sector in response to COVID-19
• Guidance for repeated PCR testing in individuals previously positive for COVID-1
• Authorized medical devices for uses related to COVID-19: List of authorized testing devices
• Updated policy position COVID-19 rapid antigen self-testing devices used for serial testing: Notice to industry
• Testing for COVID-19 in vaccinated population

COVID-19 Guidance on Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and Alcohol-Based Hand Sanitizer (ABHR)

• COVID-19 Technical Brief: Masking and face shields for full duration of shifts in acute healthcare settings
• COVID-19 medical masks and respirators: Overview
• COVID-19 medical masks and respirators: Information for health professionals
• Safety and performance specifications for respirators during COVID-19: Guidance for Canadian manufacturers
• 3D Printing and other Manufacturing of Personal Protective Equipment in Response to COVID-19 

• Public health management of cases and contacts associated with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)
• Public Health Guidance for Schools (K-12) and Childcare Programs (COVID-19)
• Guidance for a strategic approach to lifting restrictive public health measures 
• Summary of evidence supporting COVID-19 public health measures

• Public health management of cases and contacts associated with COVID-19  
• Guidance for post-secondary institutions during the COVID-19 pandemic
• Risk mitigation tool for child and youth settings operating during the COVID-19 pandemic
• Cleaning and disinfecting public spaces during COVID-19
• Evaluating COVID-19 disease transmission and public health measures in schools: Outbreak investigation guidance
• COVID-19 Vaccine Communications Toolkit (Children, Youth and Young Adults)
• Risk mitigation tool for outdoor recreation spaces and activities operating during the COVID-19 pandemic 
• Risk mitigation tool for outdoor recreation spaces and activities operating during the COVID-19 pandemic COVID-19 and people with disabilities in Canada
• COVID-19: Organized summer activities for children and youth
• COVID-19: Guidance on indoor ventilation during the pandemic
• Evidence to support safe return to clinical practice by oral health professionals in Canada during the COVID-19 pandemic: A report prepared for the Office of the Chief Dental Officer of Canada 
• Health Canada Toolkit: COVID-19 and substance use
• Wider impacts of COVID-19: A look at how substance-related harms across Canada have changed during the pandemic
• A framework for risk assessment and mitigation in community settings during the COVID-19 pandemic 
• Community-based measures to mitigate the spread of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Canada
• Guidance for providers of services for people experiencing homelessness (in the context of COVID-19)
• Advice for essential retailers during COVID-19 pandemic
• Risk mitigation tool for workplaces/businesses operating during the COVID-19 pandemic
• COVID-19 health product industry: Information for health product manufacturers and distributors
• COVID-19: Travel, testing and borders
• Reducing COVID-19 risk in community settings: A tool for operators
• COVID-19: Prevention and risks
• At home: Using ventilation and filtration to reduce the risk of aerosol transmission of COVID-19
• Industry Advisory Roundtable on COVID-19 testing: Taking stock and looking forward
•  Adjusting public health measures in the context of COVID-19 vaccination

COVID-19 Awareness Resources

• Coronavirus disease (COVID-19)
• Summary of evidence supporting COVID-19 public health measures
• Coronavirus disease (COVID-19): Awareness resources (Posters and Videos)
• COVID-19 Prevention and risks 
• COVID-19: Travel, testing and borders
• People who are at risk of more severe disease or outcomes from COVID-19
• COVID-19 antibody (serology) testing: Information for patients
• COVID-19: We're doing this for this (closed captions in other languages)
• COVID-19: How vaccines are developed
• Vaccine development and approval in Canada

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Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

• CDC - Coronavirus COVID-19 
• How COVID-19 Spreads
• Information for Healthcare Professionals about Coronavirus (COVID-19)
• Infection Control Guidance for Healthcare Professionals about Coronavirus (COVID-19)
• Interim Infection Prevention and Control Recommendations for Patients with Known or Patients Under Investigation for 2019 Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) in a Healthcare Setting
• CDC Situation Summary
• New Variants of the Virus that Causes COVID-19
• Interim Guidance for Public Health Personnel Evaluating Persons Under Investigation (PUIs) and Asymptomatic Close Contacts of Confirmed Cases at Their Home or Non-Home Residential Settings
• Collection and Submission of Postmortem Specimens from Deceased Persons with Confirmed or Suspected COVID-19
• Evaluating and Reporting Persons Under Investigation (PUI)
• Strategies for Optimizing the Supply of PPE
• Decontamination and Reuse of Filtering Facepiece Respirators using Contingency and Crisis Capacity Strategies
• Healthcare Infection Control Guidance
• Healthcare Personnel with Potential Exposure Guidance
• Inpatient Obstetric Healthcare Guidance
• Clinical Care Guidance
• Nursing Homes and Long-Term Care Facilities (CDC)
• Home Care Guidance
• Considerations for Alternate Care Sites
• Guidance for EMS
• Guidance for Dental Settings (CDC)
• Use of Cloth Face Coverings to Help Slow the Spread of COVID -19
• Options to Reduce Quarantine for Contacts of Persons with SARS-CoV-2 Infection Using Symptom Monitoring and Diagnostic Testing
• Interim Public Health Recommendations for Fully Vaccinated People
• COVID-19 Vaccination for Pregnant People to Prevent Serious Illness, Deaths, and Adverse Pregnancy Outcomes from COVID-19

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World Health Organization/Organisation mondiale de la santé

• WHO -Coronavirus COVID-19 Outbreak
• COVID-19 Global Cases (WHO)
• Transmission of SARS-CoV-2: implications for infection prevention precautions
• WHO Online Course: Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) for Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) 
• WHO Rational use of personal protective equipment for coronavirus disease (COVID-19)
• Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) technical guidance: Infection prevention and control
• Criteria for releasing COVID-19 patients from isolation
• WHO Rational use of personal protective equipment for coronavirus disease (COVID-19)
• Novel coronavirus (COVID-19) Video
• Situation Reports

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Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology

• APIC Coronavirus Fact Sheet
• APIC COVID-19: Long-Term Care Resources

European Centre for Disease Control

• Algorithm for management of contacts of probable or confirmed COVID-19 cases
• Advice to healthcare workers: management of patients with COVID-19 infection
• Advice for travellers: outbreak of a novel coronavirus COVID-19
• Risk assessment: outbreak of acute respiratory syndrome associated with a novel coronavirus

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Other Guidelines

• COVID-19 Resources (Canadian Nurses Association)
• COVID-19 Recommendations (Choosing Wisely)
• COVID-19: Recommendations for School Reopening (Sick Kids)
• COVID-19 and Pregnancy (SOGC)
• Briefing Note on Addressing Mental Health and Psychosocial Aspects of COVID-19 Outbreak (United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs)
• National Interim Guidelines for Funeral Directors on managing infection risks when handling deceased individuals with confirmed COVID-19 (Health Protection and Surveillance Centre)
• ASHRAE Position Document on Infectious Aerosols (ASHRAE)
• Policy Guidance for the Reintegration of Caregivers as Essential Care Partners (CFHI & CPSI)
• Statement on COVID-19 Vaccination in Pregnancy (SOGC)
• Statement on Pregnant Workers during the COVID-19 Pandemic (SOGC)
• Recommendations on the use of COVID-19 Vaccines

Dentistry

• Evidence to support safe return to clinical practice by oral health professionals in Canada during the COVID-19 pandemic: A report prepared for the Office of the Chief Dental Officer of Canada (PHAC)
• COVID-19 (Canadian Dental Association)
• COVID-19 (Canadian Dental Hygienists Association)
• COVID-19: Managing Infection Risks During In-Person Dental Care (Royal College of Dental Surgeons of Ontario)
• COVID-19: Guidance for the Use of Teledentistry (Royal College of Dental Surgeons of Ontario)
• COVID-19: Guidance on Returning to Dental Hygiene Practice (College of Dental Hygenists of Ontario)
• COVID-19 Recommendations (Canadian Dental Assistants Association)
• Recommendations for Dental Hygienists and Canadian Dental Assistants During COVID-19 Outbreak (Canadian Dental Assistants Association)
• Transitioning Oral Healthcare to Phase 2 of the COVID-19 Response Plan (BC College of Dental Surgeons/College of Dental Hygienists of BC)
• Expectations and Pathway for Patient Care during the COVID-19 Pandemic (Alberta Dental Association & College)
• Interim IPC Guidelines Related to COVID-19 Management (Manitoba Dental Association
• COVID-19 Operational Plan for the Practice of Dentistry in the Province of New Brunswick (New Brunswick Dental Association 
• Pandemic Plan COVID-19 For Emergency and Urgent Care (Newfoundland and Labrador Dental Association)
• COVID-19: Managing Infection Risks During In-Person Dental Care (Royal College of Dental Surgeons of Ontario)
• COVID-19 Pandemic: Level 2 IPC Interim Protocol Update (Saskatchewan College of Dental Surgeons)
• Guidance for Dental Settings (CDC)

Prevention & Management of Skin Damage Related to PPE (NSWOCC and CNA)

• Prevention & Management of Skin Damage Related to Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)
• Best practice recommendation document
• Quick Reference Enabler
• Educational video
• Teaching powerpoint