Resources

epidemiology-public-health-implementation, science-brief
 | May 31, 2021

Lessons Learned from Israel’s Reopening During a Nationwide COVID-19 Vaccination Campaign

Israel maintained an overall decrease in SARS-CoV-2 cases and COVID-19 hospitalizations, ICU admissions, and deaths throughout all phases of reopening. Key elements of Israel’s reopening included a high proportion of adults receiving 2 doses of Pfizer-BioNTech’s COVID-19 mRNA vaccine, a phased approach prioritizing the reopening of outdoor activities and schools first, and a ‘Green Pass’ or vaccination certificate allowing fully vaccinated or COVID-19 recovered individuals to enter higher SARS-CoV-2 transmission risk settings.
public-policy-economic-impact, science-brief
 | May 29, 2021

Response to the Premier of Ontario

epidemiology-public-health-implementation, science-brief
 | May 28, 2021

Impact of Hospital Visitor Restrictions during the COVID-19 Pandemic

The rationale for restrictive “no visitor” policies adopted during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic was to limit the introduction of SARS-CoV-2 into the hospitals and to minimize the risk of transmission to the community. Available research demonstrates that (1) general hospital visitors need to be distinguished from “family/essential caregivers”, (2) family/essential caregivers do not play a substantial role in the transmission of SARS-CoV-2 in a hospital setting with infection and prevention control (IPAC) measures, and (3) blanket restrictive visitor policies are associated with potential harms particularly across specific populations. Visitor policies which are typically established locally by each hospital must balance the potential infection risk associated with having family/essential caregivers in the hospital against the risk to specific patient populations and the resultant increase in workload to health care providers in the absence of family/essential caregivers. While creative electronic mechanisms to enhance communication between patients, their families, and the health care team were rapidly adopted, more research is needed to ensure these adaptations are culturally appropriate and equitable.
infectious-diseases-clinical-care, science-brief
 | May 28, 2021

Ivermectin to Prevent Disseminated Strongyloides Infection in Patients with COVID-19

Ivermectin, an antiparasitic agent, is currently not recommended for prophylaxis or treatment of COVID-19. Inappropriate use of ivermectin for COVID-19 may make it unavailable for patients who could benefit from its use (i.e., patients with serious parasitic infections) and reduce the already limited supply of ivermectin in Canada. However, patients with COVID-19 who receive immunomodulatory therapies (e.g., corticosteroids including dexamethasone, interleukin-6 inhibitors including tocilizumab) may be at risk of dissemination/hyperinfection syndrome from Strongyloides stercoralis, which can be fatal. We have developed a strategy to safely manage strongyloidiasis risk and infection in the setting of ivermectin shortage. Patients admitted to hospital with COVID-19 and at high epidemiologic risk for strongyloidiasis should be screened with serology. If a patient’s strongyloides serology is reactive or indeterminate, these patients should receive ivermectin to avoid the potential for parasitic dissemination/hyperinfection.
epidemiology-public-health-implementation, science-brief
 | May 20, 2021

Update on COVID-19 Projections

epidemiology-public-health-implementation, science-brief
 | May 19, 2021

Excess Mortality in Ontario During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Based on Ontario cremation data, there has been a 12.8% increase in the number of deaths during the COVID-19 pandemic, compared to the expected numbers of deaths informed by previous years’ cremation data. The causes of these excess deaths include infection with SARS-CoV-2, as well as causes likely related to the pandemic but not due to COVID-19 itself.
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