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DEPARTMENT OF MEDICINE UPDATE | DECEMBER 2, 2020
In this update:
The SHORT Report

COVID-19:
  • Nova Scotia COVID-19 Cases
  • Rapid Testing Pop-Up Locations
  • Potential COVID Exposures
  • New Admission Pathway
  • Aerosol Generating Medical Procedures (AGMPs)
  • Regional Care Unit (RCU) Sites
  • Addition of Face / Eye Protection
  • Self-isolation requirements for Health Care Workers
  • Restrictions to Reduce Spread
  • Perioperative Services and COVID-19 Clinical Networks
  • StatsCan Questionnaire

Nova Scotia Health:
  • Nova Scotia Health vs NSH
  • 2021 Making Waves Nominations
  • Let’s Talk Informatics
  • QEII New Generation Project Update

Research
  • Excellence Awards
  • Research Day Awards
  • Dr. Melissa Andrew in The Lancet
  • Call for applications – Clinician Investigator Program (CIP)
  • DMRF Breakthrough Breakfast

Welcome & Farewell
DoM Billing
The Wild Horses of Sable Island

Standing items
  • Videos - PPE and Masks
  • Websites to Reference
NOVA SCOTIA COVID-19 CASES
142
active
0
currently in hospital
due to COVID-19
1,315
total positive
226 since October 1
65
deaths
0 since October 1
1,108
total resolved
78 since October 1
66,263
negative tests since October 1
Reported on December 1, 2020
(Test results from November 30, 2020)

Please note: October 1, 2020 has been identified as the start of Wave 2 in Nova Scotia (as per Dr. Robert Strang on Nov. 27). This is the reason why you'll see recent data reported as of October 1.
RAPID TESTING POP-UP LOCATIONS
POTENTIAL COVID EXPOSURES
Occupational Health Safety and Wellness (OHSW) reminds all health care workers and physicians of the following testing requirements for COVID-19:

1)
Any health care worker or physician experiencing symptoms of COVID must:
  • self-isolate
  • call 811 to be screened AND call OHSW 1-833-750-0632 for tracking purposes

2)
Any health care worker or physician at these identified potential exposure locations & times must:
  • NOT REPORT TO WORK 
  • Immediately self-isolate. Household members are not required to self-isolate if they have not been at the identified location.
  • CALL 811 to arrange for testing AND call 1-833-750-0632 for tracking purposes (select option 5 - please be patient as we are experiencing higher than normal call volumes).
  • These health care workers CANNOT return to work, even with a negative swab, for 14 days after the known exposure.
  • Return to work dates will vary depending on the identified location and are listed below. A health care worker present at more than one location should use the return to work date based on the most recent potential exposure notification.

3)
Any health care worker who was in a bar within the Halifax Regional Municipality after 10:00 p.m. can complete the online assessment tool for an asymptomatic swab. These individuals are NOT required to self-isolate and can return to work while waiting for the swab results.

4)
Any health care worker who does not have COVID symptoms, has no known COVID contact, hasn’t worked in a bar after 10:00 p.m., hasn’t travelled, and has no known exposures can get tested at a pop-up site for rapid testing.

Please note: Pop-up testing (rapid testing) sites do NOT replace standard PCR testing at COVID assessment locations.


From:
Occupational Health
November 28, 2020
NEW ADMISSION PATHWAY
  • updated to reflect NEW PPE and COVID-19 testing recommendations for admitted patients.

Key associated resources available the COVID Hub:
AEROSOL GENERATING MEDICAL PROCEDURES
REGIONAL CARE UNIT (RCU) SITES
ADDITION OF FACE / EYE PROTECTION
SELF-ISOLATION REQUIREMENTS FOR HEALTH CARE WORKERS
All healthcare workers (HCWs) who have travelled outside of the Atlantic bubble or who have household contact with someone following non-essential travel outside of the Atlantic bubble, must self-isolate for 14 days after the individual enters the household. This includes HCWs whose children return to Nova Scotia from outside of the Atlantic bubble for the holidays.

This requirement is independent of the requirements for the general public set by the Office of the Chief Medical Officer of Health and applies to all HCWs working in acute care, primary care, and long-term care settings.

For clarity, if Nova Scotia Public Health alters its requirement for 14 day self-isolation of household contacts in order to facilitate return home of students from outside of the Atlantic bubble for the holidays, the requirement will remain in effect for HCWs given the consequences of transmission of COVID-19 between a HCW and patients and vulnerable residents of long-term care facilities. Additional information can be found here.

November 20, 2020
RESTRICTIONS TO REDUCE SPREAD
Gathering limits and social circles in Halifax Regional Municipality (HRM) and Hants County effective Nov 23 to Dec 21.


  • five people can gather in a close social group without physical distancing, down from 10
  • a household may have more than five members but they may only go outside the home in groups of five
  • households can only have a maximum of five visitors at a time
  • onsite gatherings at long-term care facilities can have a maximum of five people (including residents and staff), down from 10
  • adult day programs for seniors who live in the community will not be allowed
  • 25 people, down from 50, can gather with physical distancing for informal indoor and outdoor social events like a neighbourhood street party
  • indoor events run by a recognized business or organization can have 50 per cent of the venue’s capacity to a maximum of 100 people with physical distancing, down from 200
  • outdoor events run by a recognized business or organization can have 150 people with physical distancing, down from 250

Long-term care facility restrictions will apply across the province from Nov. 23, at 12:01 a.m., to Dec. 21:

  • residents can only leave their facilities for medical/dental appointments
  • a registered designated caregiver can take a resident for a sight-seeing car ride but they cannot include additional passengers or stops for shopping, visits, etc., of any kind or use drive-thrus
  • a facility can continue sight-seeing outings using their vehicles, but physical distancing is required, no other passengers are permitted in the vehicle and there are no stops of any kind including use of drive-thrus


Full-service restaurants and licensed establishments
Starting on Nov. 23, at 12:01 a.m., full-service restaurants and licensed establishments across the province must collect accurate contact information on each patron, including date and time of visit, name and phone number. This data must be retained for four weeks from date of visit for contact-tracing purposes. There is no end date for this requirement.


Excerpts from:
Health and Wellness / COVID - 19
November 20, 2020
PERIOPERATIVE SERVICES AND COVID-19 CLINICAL NETWORKS
STATSCAN QUESTIONNAIRE
NOVA SCOTIA HEALTH vs. NSH
2021 MAKING WAVES NOMINATIONS
LET'S TALK INFORMATICS
QEII NEW GENERATION PROJECT UPDATE
RESEARCH
Research Excellence Awards

Congratulations to the 2020 recipients of the DoM Research Excellence Awards:
Dr. Ciorsti MacIntyre
Assistant Professor
Division of Cardiology
Dr. Karthik Tennankore
Associate Professor
Division of Nephrology
Dr. Peter Hull
Professor
Division of Clinical Dermatology & Cutaneous Science
DoM Research Day Awards 2020
WELCOME & FAREWELL
We welcome Mary Toote, Administrative Assistant, to the Division of Hematology.

Two physicians join the Division of Infectious Diseases as locums from November 1, 2020 until March 31, 2021:

  • Dr. Ahmed Ghaly, Assistant Professor, Division of Infectious Diseases

  • Dr. Melanie Di Quinzio, Assistant Professor, Division of Infectious Diseases


We say farewell and best wishes to:

  • Dr. Robin Grant, Division of Palliative Medicine (last day will be December 14)

  • Dr. Mark Sadler, Division of Neurology (last day will be December 31)
DOM BILLING
A reminder that all shadow billing needs to be sent to our DOM Physician Services office. As you know we are no longer physically picking up billing from divisions.

Here are the options for sending the billing:

  • Via email to our new shared billing email address: DOM Billing
  • Fax to 902-473-7387
  • Send via inter-departmental mail to: DOM Billing, room 322 Bethune Building

Remember that the deadline is 90 days from date of service for the billing submission to MSI so please allow enough time for the DOM Physician Services staff to process the claims.
THE WILD HORSES OF SABLE ISLAND
VIDEOS - PPE and MASKS

Nova Scotia Health / Dr. Lynn Johnston
Uploaded: March 13, 2020
Video: 10 min

Nova Scotia Health / Dr. Glenn Patriquin
Uploaded: April 3, 2020
Video: 3 min

Canada.ca
Uploaded: June 15, 2020
Video: 1 min 25 seconds

Canada.ca
Uploaded: July 20, 2020
PDF – 8.5" x 14" poster
WEBSITES TO REFERENCE
APPLICATIONS
EMPLOYEE HEALTH
ORGANIZATIONS
When you take care of yourself, you take care of others.
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