Public Health Alerts for Health Care Professionals

Covid-19 vaccine roll-out in Ottawa

Posted Tuesday, January 05, 2021

To : Flu vaccine providers; Travel Clinics; Walk-In Clinics; Family Medicine; Infectious Diseases; Nurse Practitioners; Pediatrics;
From : Dr. Trevor Arnason, Associate Medical Officer of Health, Ottawa Public Health
Subject : Covid-19 vaccine roll-out in Ottawa
Date : January 5th, 2020

Public health promotion in your community. 

Dear Colleagues,

Thank you for your ongoing hard work for our community. This memo is to provide information about the Covid-19...

Blastomycosis cases, Ottawa, 2020, possible local exposures

Posted Tuesday, November 24, 2020

To: Ottawa Physicians, Nurse Practitioners, Emergency Departments
Date: November 23, 2020
From: Dr. Monir Taha, Associate Medical Office of Health, Ottawa Public Health

In 2020 to this point in time, 4 cases of blastomycosis in Ottawa residents have been reported to Ottawa Public Health (OPH). Local exposure is likely in all 4 cases – in 3 cases it is supported by a lack of history of travel outside of the Ottawa/Gatineau area within the incubation period. OPH...

UPDATE: 2020-2021 Universal Influenza Immunization Program (UIIP)

Posted Friday, November 20, 2020

To: Flu vaccine providers; Travel Clinics; Walk-In Clinics; Family Medicine; Infectious Disease; Nurse Practioners; Pediatrics;
From: Dr. Trevor Arnason, Associate Medical Officer of Health, Ottawa Public Health
Date: November 19, 2020

Dear Colleagues,

Thank you for your ongoing support in providing the influenza vaccine to your patients.

Ottawa Public Health is currently experiencing a reduction in our weekly vaccine deliveries from the Ministry of Health. We expect this...

Ottawa Public Health COVID-19 contact tracing and isolation

Posted Monday, November 16, 2020

To: Ottawa Physicians, Nurse Practitioners, and Midwives
From: Dr. Sarah Funnell, Associate Medical Officer of Health
Date: November 16, 2020

Dear Colleagues,

Ottawa Public Health (OPH) continues to build capacity in our local case and contact management team in order to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic. Since September 14th, the OPH COVID-19 Case and Contact Team has been led by Associate Medical Officer of Health Dr. Sarah Funnell. Along with Dr. Funnell, there are...

Ontario’s publicly funded shingles immunization program product transition to Shingrix® vaccine

Posted Monday, November 16, 2020

To: Ottawa Immunizers
From: Dr. Trevor Arnason, Associate Medical Officer of Health
Date: November 13, 2020

Dear colleagues,

Since 2016, Zostavax® vaccine was offered as part of the Ontario’s publicly funded shingles immunization program to all seniors ages 65 to 70 years.

The program is transitioning from Zostavax® to Shingrix® vaccine. Shingrix® is a two-doses recombinant, adjuvanted subunit vaccine which was proven to be more effective in the...