A community of 53 drop-ins and
allied members throughout Toronto

Toronto Drop-In NetworkTDIN COVID-19 IPAC Resources for Drop-Ins

Image for the Item TDIN COVID-19 IPAC Resources for Drop-Ins

TDIN COVID-19 IPAC Resources for Drop-Ins

Posted on: July 6, 2021
This is a TDIN Publication

Last Updated: March 31, 2022
Welcome to TDIN's COVID-19 IPAC Resources page!

We are currently running the Toronto Drop-In Network COVID Support and Engagement Project, funded by the City of Toronto and supported by Inner City Health Associates. This program is working to aid drop-in centres in easily accessing the most up-to-date information about preventing the spread of COVID-19 within its centres. Our IPAC Resource Lead is helping to provide drop-ins with in-person support, training, and resources, and is working with drop-ins to develop site-specific health and safety measures that follow current public health guidelines. They will also serve as a resource for answering any questions sites may have along the way and is providing continuous follow-up to assist in implementing practices that are realistic and feasible for staff and participants. This program aims to guide drop-ins through current best practices to ensure staff and participants are kept safe as programs begin re-opening across the city. 

For any urgent IPAC/COVID-related questions (such as outbreak management questions and what to do if someone tests positive) please contact: James.Callahan@tehn.ca who is the Supervisor of the IPAC Program through Michael Garron Hospital.

 

Tools for Reviewing Current Rules/Guidelines in Ontario:

(Click on each link)
  1. COVID-19 Guidance: Employers, Workplaces & Businesses (Toronto Public Health)
  2. COVID-19 Guidance: Indoor & Outdoor Events (Toronto Public Health)
  3. COVID-19 Guidance: Homelessness Services & Congregate Living Settings (Toronto Public Health)
  4. Rules for Areas at Step 3 and at The Roadmap Exit Step (Province of Ontario)
**For all SSHA Updates from November 2021 to now, please click here**

 

Top COVID-19 Resources for Drop-Ins:
Click on each link:

(Please note the above links will be updated frequently as more information comes out, so please check back for the most up-to-date information).

See here for info on the importance of third doses for drop-ins: https://www.tdin.ca/resource.php?id=739 

PPE Resources for Drop-Ins:
Click on each link:

(Please note the above links will be updated frequently as more information comes out, so please check back for the most up-to-date information).

 

COVID-19 Testing Resources:
Not sure if you should be tested? Take the Self-Assessment: https://covid-19.ontario.ca/self-assessment/
Testing Centre Locations:

  • Find a testing centre in Toronto here
  • For all other testing centres in Ontario, see here
  • Anishnawbe Health - COVID-19 Testing (for more info, contact Jane Harrison at 416-920-2605 ext. 269 or 416-305-3192). See here for dates and locations.
  • COMMUNITY COVID-19 OUTREACH CENTRES IN EAST TORONTO: See here for a list of walk-in testing locations
    • Also offers walk-in flu assessments to local residents experiencing cold and flu symptoms, with or without a health card. Includes assessment by a physician, prescriptions for common issues such as strep throat and asthma exacerbations, and primary care follow-up and referrals.
    • Only some of our COVID-19 Outreach Centres offer PCR testing to eligible individuals. See if you are eligible to receive a PCR test.
    • Our Leslieville and Warden Woods locations are not offering PCR tests and take-home test kits for March.
    • Starting March 14:
      • Some of our COVID-19 Outreach Centres will have reduced days of operation for PCR tests and take-home test kits.
      • Flemingdon Park (Gateway) and Taylor-Massey (Crescent Town) locations will re-introduce walk-in COVID-19 vaccines for eligible individuals aged 12+.
    • See locations and upcoming hours of all COVID-19 Outreach Centres: tehn.ca/CovidOutreachCentres
    • Download and share flyers for our COVID-19 Outreach Centres with March hours and services.
  • (NEW) Take Home PCR Test Kits:
  • Michael Garron Hospital Clinical Assessment Centre:
    • Now offer prescription medications and therapies that help prevent COVID-19 symptoms from getting worse.
    • These treatments are available to individuals who have COVID-19 and are at high risk of severe outcomes and hospitalization.
    • The best way for someone to know if they are eligible is to get a COVID-19 test from a healthcare professional.
    • If someone thinks or know they have COVID-19, they should come see us at the MGH Clinical Assessment Centre as soon as possible, even if they do not have symptoms or their symptoms are mild.
    • This is especially important if the individual is:
      • Immunocompromised, regardless of vaccination status;
      • Unvaccinated or partially vaccinated;
      • Have one or more risk factors, such as a long-term medical condition or being of older age;
      • First Nations, Inuit, Métis, Black or a member of another racialized community.
    • Staff can administer a COVID-19 test and determine if the individual is eligible for treatment. Learn more about COVID-19 assessments and treatment.
    • In addition, PCR tests and take-home PCR test kits continue to be available to eligible individuals at the MGH Clinical Assessment Centre.
    • Starting March 14, the MGH Clinical Assessment Centre is adjusting its hours and will be open every day from 12 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.

Resources for Obtaining Rapid Antigen Tests:

  • NEW - COVID-19 Information Sheet: Rapid Antigen Testing as a Screening Tool for Frontline Staff
  • UPDATED Guidance on Collecting Rapid Antigen Test Samples:
  • “Advice from the Ontario COVID-19 Science Advisory Table suggests that rapid antigen tests can more reliably detect infectious cases of the Omicron variant in combined oral-nasal samples. Individuals can collect these samples by initially swabbing both cheeks, followed by the back of the tongue or throat, and then both nostrils. In light of currently very high SARS-CoV-2 transmission rates in Ontario and the limited sensitivity of rapid antigen tests for the Omicron variant, a single negative rapid antigen test result cannot reliably rule out infection; a single negative test result is not conclusive and should not be used as a green light for abandoning or reducing precautions. Conversely, in this context, an individual with a positive rapid test result should be considered and managed as a case of COVID-19 and should immediately isolate; additional confirmation by PCR is not necessary in most settings.”
  • For the entire brief released by the science table, please click on the following link: https://covid19-sciencetable.ca/sciencebrief/use-of-rapid-antigen-tests-during-the-omicron-wave/
  • An instructional video of the revised sampling technique was released by the Science Table on Feb. 7, found here: COVID-19 Rapid Antigen Test: Sample Collection for Omicron
  • Ontario Health has released an updated (Feb. 9th) instructional handout on collecting Rapid Antigen Tests, found here: https://www.ontariohealth.ca/sites/ontariohealth/files/2022-02/COVID-19RapidAntigenTests-HowtoCollectaSample.pdf
  • NOTE:
    • The Government of Ontario recently announced that positive results from a Rapid Antigen Test no longer need to be confirmed with a PCR test.
    • Where individuals are symptomatic, and receive a negative RAT result, a PCR test to confirm should be conducted. People experiencing homelessness and homeless service staff have been identified by provincial guidance as eligible for PCR testing.
  • Also see: "Toronto Region Intake Line for COVID-19 Testing and IPAC Support"

 

Referring Clients to Recovery and Isolation Sites:

 

Resources for What To Do If Someone Tests Positive At Your Site:
Click on each link:

 

IPAC Training Materials for Drop-In Staff

  • Virtual COVID-19 IPAC Training Learning Package - Current as of Feb 4, 2022
    • 1 hour training video for drop-in staff on the basics of infection prevention within drop-in settings as it relates to the COVID-19 pandemic
    • Power Point Slides
    • Worksheet + Worksheet Answers

 

Additional COVID-19 Resources for Drop-Ins:
Click on each link:

Associated Files:

       COVID-19 Vaccine Administration V5.0 2022-04-27 FINAL

This resource relates to:

     

The Toronto Drop-In Network (TDIN) is an active member-based coalition of 59 organizations that run at least 56 diverse drop-in centres across the city of Toronto. Our members work with people who are homeless, marginally housed, or socially isolated, including men, women, transgender and non-binary people, youth and seniors.
line
Toronto Drop-In Network
Toronto Drop-In Network       |       260 Augusta Avenue Toronto, ON, M5T 2L9       |       416-824-4172

© 2024 | Website Developed by Meta Strategies