Manitoba Well being and Shared Well being will proceed to make use of a clinically knowledgeable strategy through the respiratory virus season to guard the province’s most susceptible populations, together with those that could not have the ability to defend themselves from respiratory viruses whereas receiving care or assist in a communal residence or health-care facility.
Efficient Wednesday, Oct. 18, health-care workers working in Manitoba hospitals, private care houses and different health-care amenities might be required to put on a medical masks throughout direct interactions with sufferers, residents and purchasers. Employees offering care companies operated by regional well being authorities, together with companies in the neighborhood corresponding to residence care, may also be required to put on masks when offering care. This strategy will assist cut back the chance of spreading a respiratory virus from a health-care employee to a susceptible affected person, resident or consumer, significantly those that are extra prone to extreme sickness.
Masks will proceed to be non-obligatory however really helpful for guests to health-care websites. They are going to be out there at websites for individuals who want to put on one. Nevertheless, masks could proceed to be required for guests and different workers in places the place care is supplied to extremely immunocompromised folks, corresponding to most cancers models or throughout the transplant program. Signage will clearly point out these necessities.
In an outbreak, health-care staff and designated caregivers might be required to comply with present protocols and procedures to be used of non-public protecting tools.
Shared Well being supplied this up to date steerage to health-care staff earlier right this moment in a memo, which is out there at https://sharedhealthmb.ca/information/memo-updated-respiratory-virus-guidance.pdf.
Public well being officers word different community-based well being settings, like medical doctors’ places of work or supportive housing, will proceed to have the ability to resolve how and when masks could also be used primarily based on the wants of their purchasers, sufferers and workers. Choice-making on the native degree ensures organizations take an strategy that works for his or her scenario.
Extra broadly, companies, organizations and amenities ought to contemplate the wants of their group, purchasers and workers for this upcoming respiratory virus season. Moreover, public well being encourages all employers to:
- assist folks to remain residence once they’re sick;
- have handwashing or sanitizing choices out there; and
- present alternatives for his or her workers to be vaccinated.
All Manitobans have the instruments they should assist defend themselves, their households and the group through the respiratory virus season together with:
- selecting to be immunized towards COVID-19 and the flu;
- staying residence when sick till they really feel higher and not have a fever;
- washing their arms or utilizing hand sanitizer recurrently;
- protecting coughs and sneezes;
- selecting to put on a masks as an additional layer of safety; and
- recurrently cleansing and disinfecting shared surfaces and objects.
COVID-19 and seasonal flu vaccines proceed to be distributed throughout the province. The up to date COVID-19 vaccine has been formulated to guard towards the XBB.1.5 pressure and the seasonal flu vaccine is up to date yearly to offer one of the best safety towards the strains anticipated to be circulating this yr. It’s anticipated that these vaccines will start to be extra broadly out there to members of the general public within the coming weeks, although some websites could have inventory sooner than others.
The web vaccine finder at www.gov.mb.ca/covid19/vaccine.html#finder is up to date with new places and clinic particulars as they’re submitted to the province. There are lots of methods folks can entry their vaccines. Manitobans can contact many pharmacies and medical clinics on to e book an appointment or stroll in. Vaccine clinics, together with these operated by regional well being authorities, typically use the web reserving software at https://affected person.petal-health.com/login?groupId=6032 or 1-844-MAN-VACC (1-844-626-8222) to e book. Stroll-ins may be out there at these clinics.
For extra details about seasonal flu and COVID-19 vaccines, go to www.manitoba.ca/protectMB. Individuals who have questions on COVID-19 or seasonal flu immunizations ought to communicate with their health-care supplier or name Well being Hyperlinks-Data Santé at 1-888-315-9257 (toll-free) or 204-788-8200.
A weekly epidemiology replace on COVID-19 and seasonal flu is posted each Friday at www.gov.mb.ca/well being/publichealth/surveillance/influenza/index.html.
