Congregate Settings

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Reporting and requests

Outbreak reporting

To report an outbreak during regular business hours, please complete the Notification of Increase in Illness Intake Form below or call 613-580-2424 extension 26325. Evenings, weekends or holidays, call 3-1-1 and ask to speak with the Public Health Inspector on-call. 

Notification of Increase in Illness Intake Form 

For outbreak definitions, please refer to the Outbreak definitions section

Specimen pick-up or drop-off requests

Facilities are responsible for ordering swabs through the Ministry Portal and coordinating transportation with a community laboratory.  

Pick-up and drop-offs will continue to be available for stool specimens, however, will be limited to once per day. Please refrain from submitting request late in the day as courier services are limited which may result in requests being deferred until next day. 

To request an Ottawa Public Health stool specimen pick-up, please complete the Facility Stool Specimen Collection Request form below. If encountering any issues please call 613-580-2424 extension 26325. 

Outbreak related specimen collection only.

Facility Stool Specimen Collection Request Form

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Forms and templates

Outbreak Line List

Please use the templates below in either print format or PDF fillable format for reporting of cases to the Infection Prevention and Control team at Ottawa Public Health. 

Fillable version - Outbreak line listing (pdf - 902 KB)

Print version - Outbreak line listing (pdf - 537 KB)

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Resources and guidance

Outbreak Definitions

For the COVID-19 outbreak definition, please consult the Ministry of Health’s; Infectious Disease Protocol Appendix 1: Case Definitions and Disease-Specific Information Disease; Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19).

For the Respiratory unspecified outbreak definition, please consult the Ministry of Health’s; Infectious Disease Protocol Appendix 1: Case Definitions and Disease-Specific Information Disease; Respiratory Infection Outbreaks in Institutions and Public Hospitals.

For the Gastroenteritis outbreak definition, please consult the Ministry of Health’s; Infectious Disease Protocol Appendix 1: Case Definitions and Disease-Specific Information Disease; Gastroenteritis, Outbreaks in institutions and public hospitals.

Screening and Testing

Screening residents and staff regularly for early signs and symptoms of illness may help to detect and prevent the spread of disease and may reduce the risk of outbreaks.

Ottawa Public Health recommends that staff continue to self-monitor prior to entering the Long-Term care home, retirement home or congregate living setting. A self-assessment tool is available on the Ontario Health website.

Testing and isolation are highly recommended for all individuals experiencing symptoms who reside or work in a high-risk setting*. 

As per the latest Ministry of Health Guidance, Ottawa Public Health (OPH) would like to call attention to the recommendations regarding transfers and repatriations to Long Term Care Homes (LTCHs), Retirement Homes (RH) and congregate living settings. Residents are no longer required to be tested prior to or upon repatriation to their home if they do not present with symptoms. It is however, recommended that facilities screen the resident upon entry and act accordingly.

For COVID-19 specific guidance on testing and isolation, please refer to the MOHs’ Infectious Disease Protocol Appendix 1: Case Definitions and Disease-Specific Information Disease; Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19). and the MOH’s Recommendations for Outbreak Prevention and Control in Institutions and Congregate Living Settings or OPH’s COVID-19 Testing and Care Information page.

*High risk settings include acute care settings such as hospitals, including complex continuing care facilities; congregate living settings, including, Long-Term Care, retirement homes, First Nation elder care lodges, group homes, shelters, hospices, correctional institutions, and hospital schools.

Outbreak Control Measures

Please refer to OPH's Outbreak Control Measures for Institutions, Congregate Living Settings, Child Care Centres and Schools for guidance of control measures based on your setting. 

Cleaning and Disinfection

When an outbreak is suspected or declared, it is recommended t/hat facilities increase their environmental cleaning and disinfection of all high-touch surfaces and resident rooms to twice daily (minimum).

Is it important to ensure that the product is effective against the agent circulating in the home. Accelerated hydrogen peroxide products will often cover a large spectrum of pathogens frequently identified in healthcare institutions.

Products with shorter contact times (1 minute, 3 minutes) are preferred to ensure the surface has been cleaned and disinfected appropriately. Please ensure to review the contact time of your products to ensure proper environmental cleaning protocols.

Access the Public Health Ontario website for additional resources on environmental cleaning and disinfection best practices.  

Signage, Posters and Factsheets
Outbreak Signage
Hand Hygiene

For signage in additional languages, please refer to Ottawa Public Health’s Hand Hygiene webpage.

Personal protective equipment (PPE)
Physical Distancing
Ottawa Public Health: Poster - Physical Distancing (pdf - 807 KB)
Additional Precautions Signage and Lanyard Cards

Public Health Ontario has developed standardized infection prevention and control signage and lanyard cards for hospitals and long-term care homes to assist with the implementation of Routine Practices and Additional Precautions and provide consistent visual messages about recommended additional precautions and PPE. 

Visit the Public Health Ontario website to download the following signs:

For the most up to date information on vaccines, please refer to the Ottawa Public Health immunization webpage.

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