Coronavirus (COVID-19)

The Brant County Health Unit (BCHU) continues to actively monitor the situation in collaboration with provincial and national health agencies and stakeholders, including the local hospital and community agencies.

We do not do testing for COVID-19 at any of our facilities.

The Ontario Ministry of Health (MOH) website for health workers and healthcare employers is live. It will be updated as new information and documents become available.

The Province’s Chief Medical Officer of Health has developed COVID-19 guidance documents for a number of health sectors and has updated the COVID-19 case definition.

Primary care providers should be aware of the following recommendations:

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  • All primary care settings should undertake passive screening (signage) and active screening (asking questions) of patients for COVID-19 (See case definition).
    • Patients who screen positive over the phone:
      •  Please ask them to self-isolate
      •  Primary care offices that have PPE for droplet/contact precautions and testing supplies we ask that they offer the patient clinical assessment, examination and possibly testing (as indicated, see Testing below) in their clinics
      •  The primary care provider should contact BCHU to report if they meet the case definition
      •  Where primary care offices DO NOT have PPE or testing supplies, the primary care provider should take a clinical history and travel/exposure assessment by phone to determine if the patient is a probable case (see case definition)
      •  If the patient is a probable case:
      •  The primary care provider should contact BCHU to report the probable case, and if the patient is unwell enough to require physical assessment or meets priority testing, criteria should be referred to the nearest emergency department or assessment centre
      •  The primary care provider should coordinate with the hospital, BCHU and the patient to make safe arrangements for travel to the hospital that maintains isolation of the patient
    • Patients who screen positive in-person:
      •  Patients should be instructed to wear a surgical mask (if tolerated) and be placed in a single room with the door closed on arrival to wait for further assessment
      •  Where primary care offices DO NOT have PPE and/or testing supplies, the primary care provider should take a clinical history and travel/exposure assessment  to determine if the patient is a probable case (see case definition)
      •  If the patient is a probable case:
      •  The primary care provider should contact BCHU to report the probable case and if well enough the patient may be given instruction to self-isolate and be sent home
      •  If the patient is unwell enough to require physical assessment or meets priority testing criteria should be referred to the nearest emergency department or assessment centre
      •  The primary care provider should coordinate with the hospital, BCHU and the patient to make safe arrangements for travel to the hospital that maintains isolation of the patient

The Province has created a COVID-19 Reference Document for Symptoms with an updated section on MIS-C in children.

BCHU does not perform swabbing or testing.

The Ontario Ministry of Health updates COVID-19 provincial testing guidance. You can access this guidance on the Ministry of Health website.

A new appendix document centred on Serology Testing and MIS-C has also been shared to support the public health management of serology testing and MIS-C.

  • Clinicians who suspect COVID-19 are required to report the individual to their local public health unit.

The Government of Canada has put in place an Emergency Order under the Quarantine Act that applies to all travellers arriving in Canada in order to slow the introduction and spread of COVID-19 in Canada.

TRAVELLERS WITH SYMPTOMS – Mandatory Isolation

If you have recently returned to Canada and have symptoms, you must isolate. This is mandatory. If required, immediate medical attention will be provided upon arrival in Canada.

Mandatory isolation means you MUST:

  • Go directly to the place where you will isolate, without delay, and stay there for 14 days
  • Go to your place of isolation using private transportation only, such as your personal vehicle
  • Stay inside your home
  • Not leave your place of isolation unless it’s to see medical attention
  • Do not go to school, work, other public areas or use public transportation (e.g., buses, taxis)
  • Stay in a separate room and use a separate bathroom from others in your home, if possible
  • Not have visitors and limit contact with others in the place of isolation , including children
  • Not isolate in a place where you will have contact with vulnerable people such as older adults and individuals with underlying medical conditions
  • If your symptoms get worse, immediately contact your health care provider or public health authority and follow their instructions.

If you have symptoms but do not have a place to isolate, you will be required to isolate for 14 days in a facility designated by the Chief Public Health Officer of Canada.

Violating any instructions provided to you when you entered Canada could lead up to six months in prison and/or $750,000 in fines.

TRAVELLERS WITHOUT SYMPTOMS – Mandatory Quarantine (mandatory self-isolation)

If you have recently returned to Canada and have no symptoms, you must quarantine (self-isolate) yourself. This is mandatory. You are at risk of developing symptoms and infecting others.

This means you MUST:

  • Go directly to your place of quarantine, without delay, and stay there for 14 days
  • Do not go to school, work, other public areas and community settings
  • Monitor your health for symptoms of COVID-19
  • Arrange to have someone pick up essentials like groceries or medication for you
  • Do not have visitors
  • Stay in a private place like your yard or balcony if you go outside for fresh air
  • Keep a distance of at least two arms lengths (approximately two metres) from others

You can take public transportation to get to your place of self-isolation after you arrive in Canada, but you must not stop on the way home and practice physical (social) distancing at all times.

Violating any instructions provided to your when you entered Canada could lead up to six months in prison and/or $750,000 in fines.

If you develop symptoms within 14 days:

  • isolate yourself from others
  • immediately call a health care professional or BCHU and:
    • describe your symptoms and travel history
    • follow instructions carefully

COVID-19 vaccines use messenger RNA (mRNA) which provides instructions to cells in our bodies to make a viral protein from the coronavirus called a “spike protein”. The mRNA provides the instructions that allows the cell to make the spike protein, and then the immune system is activated to recognize the spike protein as being different from the body’s own proteins and initiates an immune response. The mRNA is then degraded by normal cellular mechanisms and the spike proteins are destroyed by the immune system.

No. mRNA is not able to alter or modify a person’s genetic makeup (DNA). The mRNA from a COVID-19 vaccine never enters the nucleus of the cell, which is where our DNA are kept. This means the mRNA does not affect or interact with our DNA in any way. Instead, COVID-19 vaccines that use mRNA work with the body’s natural defenses to safely develop protection (immunity) to disease.

No. None of the COVID-19 vaccines currently in development use the live virus that causes COVID-19. There are several different types of vaccines in development. However, the goal for each of them is to teach the immune system to recognize and fight the virus that causes COVID-19. Sometimes this process can cause symptoms, such as fever. These symptoms are normal and are a sign of the immune response to vaccine.

It typically takes a few weeks for the body to build immunity after vaccination. That means it’s possible a person could be infected with the virus that causes COVID-19 just before or just after vaccination and get sick. This is because the vaccine has not had enough time to provide protection.

No. COVID-19 vaccines will not cause a positive test on COVID-19 viral tests, which are used to see if a person has a current infection. If a person’s body develops an immune response, which is the goal of vaccination, there is a possibility they will test positive on some antibody tests. Antibody tests indicate that a person had a previous infection and may have some level of protection against the virus. Antibody tests are not being used for diagnosis of COVID-19 in Ontario except in special clinical circumstances. They are not the tests used in assessment and testing centres and/or long-term care homes.

Yes. Those who have previously had PCR-confirmed infection should still be vaccinated and individuals do not need COVID-19 testing prior to vaccination.

Due to the severe health risks associated with COVID-19 and the fact that re-infection with COVID-19 is possible, people can still get a COVID-19 vaccine even if they have been sick with COVID-19 before. At this time, experts do not know how long someone is protected from getting sick again after recovering from COVID-19. The immunity someone gains from having an infection, called natural immunity, varies from person to person. Some early evidence suggests natural immunity may not last very long. We won’t know how long immunity produced by vaccination lasts until we have more data on how well it works.

In situations, where there is limited vaccine supply, doses of the vaccine are being prioritized for those who have not been previously infected as they are assumed to have no immunity to COVID-19.

No. While experts learn more about the protection that COVID-19 vaccines provide under real-life conditions, it will be important for everyone to continue using all the tools available to us to help stop this pandemic, like covering your mouth and nose with a mask, washing hands often and never touching your eyes, nose or mouth with unwashed hands, staying at least 2 metres (6 feet) away from others and self-isolating when sick. Health care and other staff must still wear personal protective equipment (PPE) even after they have been vaccinated.

Together, COVID-19 vaccination and public health measures will offer the best protection from getting and spreading COVID-19. Experts need to understand more about the protection that COVID-19 vaccines provide before deciding to change recommendations on steps everyone should take to slow the spread of the virus that causes COVID-19. Other factors, including how many people get vaccinated and how the virus is spreading in communities, will also affect this decision.

Experts do not know what percentage of people would need to get vaccinated to achieve herd immunity to COVID-19. Some estimates for COVID-19 suggest it may be near 60 to 70%, though the full range of estimates is much broader. Herd immunity is a term used to describe when enough people have protection—either from previous infection or vaccination—that it is unlikely a virus or bacteria can spread and cause disease. As a result, everyone within the community is protected even if some people don’t have any protection themselves. The percentage of people who need to have protection in order to achieve herd immunity varies by disease.

The most frequent adverse reactions were injection site pain (84.1%), fatigue (62.9%), headache (55.1%), muscle pain (38.3%), chills (31.9%), joint pain (23.6%) and fever (14.2%), and were usually mild or moderate in intensity and resolved within a few days after vaccination.

If someone experiences a side effect following immunization, they should report it to a healthcare professional (e.g., family doctor).

Healthcare professionals should complete the Adverse Events Following Immunization (AEFI) Form and send it to the local public health unit. For more information about AEFI reporting in Ontario visit the Public Health Ontario website.

No. People with a history of severe allergic reaction to a component of the COVID-19 vaccine should not receive the vaccine. The components of the vaccine are:

  • mRNA
  • Non-medicinal ingredients:
  • ALC-0315 = ((4-hydroxybutyl)azanediyl)bis(hexane-6,1-diyl)bis(2-hexyldecanoate)
  • ALC-0159 = 2-[(polyethylene glycol)-2000]-N,N-ditetradecylacetamide
  • 1,2-Distearoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine
  • cholesterol
  • dibasic sodium phosphate dihydrate
  • monobasic potassium phosphate
  • potassium chloride
  • sodium chloride
  • sucrose
  • water for injection

Polyethylene glycol (PEG) is a non-medicinal ingredient in the vaccine known to cause type 1 hypersensitivity (immediate hypersensitivity) reactions ranging from mild cutaneous reactions to anaphylaxis. It is also found in bowel preparation products for colonoscopy, laxatives, cough syrup, cosmetics, skin care products, and some food and drinks

Yes. Currently, only individuals with a history of severe allergic reaction to a component of the COVID-19 vaccine (or vaccine container) are advised NOT to receive the COVID-19 vaccine due to potential for severe allergies.

COVID-19 vaccine should not be offered to the following populations excluded from clinical trials until further evidence is available:

  • Under 16 years of age
  • Pregnant or breastfeeding
  • Immunosuppressed due to disease or treatment or suffering from autoimmune disorder

However, if a risk assessment deems that the benefits of vaccine outweigh the potential risks for the individual (e.g., where the risk of severe outcomes of COVID-19 and risk of exposure to SARS-CoV-2 is high) or for the fetus/infant (in the case of pregnancy/breastfeeding) and if informed consent includes discussion about the insufficient evidence in this population, then a complete series of authorized COVID-19 vaccine may be offered to individuals in the following populations:

  • Immunosuppressed due to disease or treatment or suffering from autoimmune disorder
  • Pregnant or breastfeeding
  • Adolescents 12 to 15 years of age
  • Vaccination should be deferred in symptomatic individuals with confirmed or suspected COVID-19 or other acute illness to avoid attributing any complications resulting from their illness with vaccine-related adverse events and to minimize the risk of COVID-19 transmission at an immunization site.
  • In individuals with bleeding disorders, the condition should be optimally managed prior to immunization to minimize the risk of bleeding. Individuals receiving long-term anticoagulation are not considered to be at higher risk of bleeding complications following immunization and may be safely immunized without discontinuation of their anticoagulation therapy.

No. A direct connection with the vaccine and Bell’s palsy, a condition that causes temporary facial paralysis, has not been established. The Pfizer study examined 38,000 patients and found four cases of Bell’s palsy among those who received the vaccine, but this is in keeping with the normal observed incidence of Bell’s palsy in the population. The COVID-19 vaccine, like all vaccines, continues to be monitored for adverse events.

The reason the COVID-19 vaccine was approved quickly is not because safety standards have changed, it’s because Health Canada shortened the administrative and organizational process of vaccine authorization. The safety requirements in clinical trials for the COVID-19 vaccine were just as strict as the regular process for any other vaccine.

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