COVID-19 Information for Residency Programs - January 12, 2022

Dear Program Directors,

This is an update for you with the current information as of after this morning’s Infection Prevention & Control (IPAC) and COVID meeting. Thank you again for all your work, leadership, and your support of our residents and fellows.

  • Rotation Change Jan. 17-18 goes ahead as scheduled, regardless of the outbreak status of clinical areas. IPAC reserves the right to change this guidance, but they acknowledge the disruption to learning and patient care if cohorting during outbreaks was required, as well as the very different nature of the Omicron variant and the community prevalence.

  • You received an email from LHSC Medical Affairs with instructions for physician leaders. The instructions for the original process were sent to Chairs and Chiefs on Dec. 31 and did not include Program Directors. The Chairs and Chiefs were able to delegate the process, so for some departments and divisions the responsibility would have been delegated to Program Directors. For some of you, this is brand new communication, and you will not have been previously involved in the process, which also means you will not be on the relevant ‘Teams’ to access the worksheets.

    Check with your designated leader – they may be working on this already.

    If it is tasked to you, please feel free to delegate to a Program Administrator or other administrative person available to you.

  • Clarification on PGME Committee COVID Update, Slide 2

    The process is sequential – if exposure (home/community or hospital) then work isolation is possible but ONLY after a negative PCR. So, this may not help with healthcare workforce issues as much as hoped depending on the lag time for OHSS and testing results.

  • High risk exposure definition just FYI

    A high-risk exposure is defined as no PPE and close prolonged contact (closer than 2m) for more than 15 minutes.

    You are not exposed if:

    If positive individual and staff were masked*

    If the positive was not wearing a mask, but staff were wearing mask* and eye protection

    *A medical mask is sufficient to make staff exposure not high risk with one exception - If staff were performing a Protected Protocol AGMP (Protected Protocol AGMP) and were not wearing an N95 during that protocol this is a high-risk exposure.