LMPCA: new COVID-19 testing site for primary care

December 24, 2021

COVID-19 Info

NEW! Moderna Spikevax to be used as 3rd dose booster for 30+

The Ministry of Health released this COVID-19 Vaccine Inventory update stating that until a new supply of Pfizer vaccine is confirmed for January, Pfizer will prioritized for use in 12-29 y.o. They ask all vaccine administrators to:

".... manage their vaccine inventory to prioritize use of Pfizer-BioNTech Comirnaty vaccine for people aged 12-29 until new supply is confirmed. As a result, all vaccine administrators are encouraged to use Moderna Spikevax as a third dose booster for people age 30 and older."

Please read the Update for more information on ordering vaccine supplies in the short term.

Treating COVID-19 patients in primary care settings

Clinical Practice Guideline Summary: Recommended Drugs and Biologics in Adult Patients with COVID-19, COVID-19 Science Advisory Table Ontario. Of note for primary care: Section on mildly ill patients and the use of budesonide and fluvoxamine in those symptomatic high risk patients.

Work quarantine and work self-isolation for health care providers

FAQ for Healthcare Providers, MLHU

Omicron variant:

SIGN UP! Dec. 29: Community of Practice for Family Physicians - Q&A on Omicron in Ontario with Dr. Peter Juni, Scientific Director, Ontario COVID-19 Science Advisory Table; Dr. Sacha Bhatia, Population Health and Value-Based Health Systems, Ontario Health; Dr. Allison McGeer, Infectious Disease Specialist, Mount Sinai Hospital. Registration now open!
Dec. 21: Family physician clinical response to Omicron, OCFP
Dec. 17: COVID-19 Case, Contact and Outbreak Management Interim Guidance: Omicron Surge, MOH
Dec. 15: SARS-CoV-2 Omicron Variant and Community Masking, Public Health Ontario
Dec. 15: Interim IPAC Recommendations for Use of Personal Protective Equipment for Care of Individuals with Suspect or Confirmed COVID-19 Technical Brief, Public Health Ontario

Vaccine info:

OHIP fee codes for billing vaccine in office and at vaccination centres
Dec. 16: Vaccine - 3rd dose recommendations, MOH
Dec. 14: Vaccine info for 12+, MOH

Changing: where to refer for urgent COVID-19 care

Beginning January 1, 2022, the London Urgent COVID-19 Care Clinic (LUC3) will only be accepting patients from hospitals. Please direct community referrals to:

Adult patients in the community: refer to Ontario Health West Remote Care Monitoring Program -- **use this referral form**.
Pediatric patients in the community: refer to the Pediatric COVID-19 Virtual Clinic -- **use this referral form**.

Holiday hours at Mass Vaccination Centres

Western Fair District Agriplex:

• Dec 25, 1:00 to 4:00 p.m.

• Week of Dec 26: regular hours

• Jan 1, 1:00 to 4:00 p.m.

Caradoc Community Centre in Mount Brydges:

• CLOSED on Dec 25 and Jan 1

Holiday hours - Carling Assessment Centre

The Centre will be operating with reduced hours on the following days:

December 24 – hours of operation are 9:20 am to 4:30 pm
December 25 – hours of operation are 10:20 am to 1:30 pm

Carling will resume regular hours of operation starting December 26, with the centre being open from 9:20 am to 6:30 pm.

Telephone booking will be unavailable from December 24 to December 27, and on January 3. Phone lines will open again on December 28, at 9:00 AM, and January 4, at 9:00 AM, respectively.

Will this draft eReferral/eFax workflow work in your practice?

As you know, LMPCA, the eHealth Centre of Excellence, and the Western OHT are working to improve referral management through eReferral. We aim to reduce faxes and increase eReferral use as it is freely available and offers many benefits to both sending and receiving providers.

In early 2022, a new eReferral feature will allow all referrals to be sent through eReferral regardless of whether the receiving provider is on eReferral. This transitionary step in eReferral uptake will still use faxes but will provide a cleaner and easier way to track referrals.

Next steps:

Please give us your initial thoughts on whether this draft workflow for the new "eFax" feature might work in your practice by completing this 6-question survey (registration for eReferral/eFax not required): eFax Feedback & Early Adopter Sign Up Survey. You will receive $80 compensation for completing the survey.

Thank you for your contribution -- we look forward to your feedback!

COVID-19 Rapid Molecular Testing site for Primary/Community Care opening January 5, 2022

Operated by the Thames Valley Family Health Team, this site will focus on testing of healthcare workers in the primary and community care sectors as well as school age children (kindergarten to grade 12) who have been asked to get a negative test in order to return to the workplace or to school. Testing will be by appointment only.

Location: 460 Springbank Dr., Suite 105, London (validated parking)
Open: Monday-Friday, 9:00 am-4:00 pm
How to book: Visit www.covidtestinglm.ca and select 460 Springbank Dr. as your preferred location - appointments for January 5 will be available at 7:00 pm on January 4.
Test results: Printed copy provided at the end of the visit. Results will not be available online, by email or phone after the appointment.

Positive results will be reported to the Middlesex-London Health Unit. Read more here.

Email us at:

info@lmprimarycare.ca

Check our website: www.lmprimarycare.ca