Our values, vision, and mission together with your well-being and the well-being of people who use our services continue to be our top priority during the current pandemic.
This week, look for the following updates:
There are no additional resource updates this week
COVID-19 Weekly Preparedness Checklist
- The COVID-19 Weekly Preparedness Checklist has been updated for the week of December 8th – December 15th, 2022.
- The Hand Sanitizer Recall List (on the U:\\ drive) was updated March 2022. Please confirm the removal of recalled sanitizers from all locations
Tracking COVID-19 Cases
In the coming weeks we will be updating how we track cases of COVID-19 specifically for the people we support. The process has remained very labour intensive and we continue to track data that was relevant at different stages of the pandemic that we no longer need. With this in mind, we will be moving to tracking COVID-19 cases in the ODB. Districts will set up the processes for how they would like to capture this information in the ODB. This will allow us to automatically run reports on the number of COVID-19 cases within the organization and look for trends without the manual updating of lists by our teams.
Minimizing the Risk of Illness Over the Holidays
We are quickly approaching the holiday season, with many people preparing for gatherings with friends and family. At the same time, in both Ontario, and Saskatchewan, we are seeing dramatic increases in the number of respiratory illnesses circulating in our communities. These illnesses include Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV), Colds, Flu, and COVID-19.
When considering how best to prevent or minimize the risk of illness to ourselves and those close to us the chain of infection can help us identify areas where we prevent infections from occurring. By breaking the chain at any point, we can prevent either ourselves from becoming ill, or prevent getting those closest to us sick.
Starting in the top right corner of the diagram the “Agent” (Germs) and “Where Germs Live” (Reservoir) are difficult factors for us to control. It is true that some illness has been eradicated, such as Small Pox, but this strategy does not help us stay healthy over the next few months. We also can not remove the reservoir for respiratory infections as they replicate within us. At the same time how “Germs Get Around” (Mode of Transmission) is beyond our control. Instead we focus on what we can control:
“How Germs Get Out” (Portal of Exit)
Focusing on respiratory illness, the primary way in which they spread is through droplets. Whether saliva or mucus that are expelled when we cough, sneeze, have a runny nose or through simply talking, the germs hitch a ride out of our bodies looking for the next person to infect. How can we best minimize spreading the illness then?
- Staying home if we are feeling unwell
- Limiting the number of people we are visiting with
- The less people we are in close contact with the less likely we are to spread an illness
- Wearing a mask
“How Germs Get In” (Portal of Entry)
If we prevent germs from entering our body, we can prevent illness. The most common ways in which germs enter our body is through the mucous membranes (eyes, mouth and nose). Some of the best ways to stop germs from entering our body are:
- Hand Hygiene – by removing the germs on our hands we won’t accidently touch our eyes, nose or mouth.
- Wearing a mask
- Eye Protection
- Environmental Cleaning – cleaning high touch areas in communal settings will ensure germs aren’t living on the surfaces and passing to our hands and then from our hands to our eyes, mouth or nose.
“Next Sick Person” (Susceptible Host)
If none of the links in the chain of infection are broken and a virus or bacteria (germ) enters our body we are not guaranteed to get sick. A number of factors can help our immune system to be prepared to fight off an infection:
- Immunity to the germ (virus) because of vaccinations
- Immunity from prior infection with the same/similar germ (virus or bacteria)
- Sufficient Rest
- Proper nutrition
- Reduced Stress
There are also a number of factors that make someone more likely to become ill:
- Infants and Children
- Less developed immune system
- Elderly
- People with a weakened immune system (immune compromised)
- Lack of immunizations
- Anyone
- It is important to be aware that even if you have no risk factors you can still become sick. Our immune systems are amazing, but they are not perfect.
Keep these tips and tricks to prevent illness in mind over the coming weeks as we all look to gather with our loved ones.
COVID-19 VACCINE WEBINAR
There is no Webinar scheduled for this week.
To view previously recorded webinars, please click here.
If you are looking for additional webinars with a variety of experts from across Canada, consider the resources available at This is Our Shot and ScienceUpFirst. Additionally, the University of Toronto has provided this resource which they will continue to keep up to date.
Thank you for your continued work and dedication, your commitment and tenacity to provide the best service and supports is exceptional!
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Questions or suggestions about any of the resources listed on the site?
Send us an email to let us know: covid-19@christian-horizons.org