COVID-19 for health professionals: Infection prevention and control

On this page

• Guidance
• Personal protective equipment
• Training for contact tracing

Guidance

We have developed infection prevention and control guidance and strategies to prevent or limit COVID-19 transmission in health care settings.

All health care settings

• Update with consideration of Omicron: Interim COVID-19 infection prevention and control in the health care setting when COVID-19 is suspected or confirmed, December 23, 2021

Acute care

• Infection prevention and control for COVID-19: Interim guidance for acute healthcare settings
• Routine practices and additional precautions for preventing the transmission of infection in healthcare settings

Long-term care

• Interim guidance: Infection prevention and control for COVID-19 for long-term care homes
• Using ventilation and filtration to reduce aerosol transmission of COVID-19 in long-term care homes

Homecare

• At home: Using ventilation and filtration to reduce the risk of aerosol transmission of COVID-19
• Interim guidance: Infection prevention and control for COVID-19 for home care settings

Outpatient and ambulatory care

• Interim guidance: Infection prevention and control for COVID-19 for outpatient and ambulatory care settings
• Infection prevention and control recommendations for medical evacuation by aircraft of patients with suspected or confirmed COVID-19 from remote and isolated communities in Canada's North

Personal protective equipment

There is an unprecedented demand and urgent need for products to help limit the spread of COVID-19. As a temporary measure, we are speeding up the authorization processes for personal protective equipment (PPE).

We are also allowing certain medical devices to be imported and sold that may not fully meet Canadian regulatory requirements. However, these devices are manufactured to comparable standards.

Learn more about personal protective equipment and strategies to reduce shortages, including reprocessing N95 respirators.

Training for contact tracing

Register for our free training courses on contact tracing. You will need to make an account before being able to register. Our series of courses supplement local training and onboarding. They are not a requirement to conducting work in your jurisdiction. Health professionals must follow local/regional policies and procedures for contract tracing.

Related links

• Biosafety advisory: SARS-CoV-2 (severe acute respiratory syndrome-related coronavirus 2)
• COVID-19 disinfectants, sanitizers, cleaners and soaps
• COVID-19 and people with disabilities in Canada
• Health Canada Toolkit: COVID-19 and substance use