Scope of Recommendations

These recommendations apply to aerosol-generating medical procedures (AGMPs) carried out on patients who are suspected or confirmed cases of COVID-19. In contexts of sustained community transmission, risk assessments must be carried out to determine whether these recommendations shall also apply during AGMPs on individuals who are asymptomatic or have unknown COVID-19 status. Also, a negative result from PCR testing done in the 24-48 hours prior to an AGMP on a patient who does not present COVID-19 symptoms and has had no significant contact with the virus, may result in the AGMP being carried out according to standard precautions, unless the presence of another contagious infectious disease (e.g., tuberculosis) is suspected or suspected COVID-19...

This evaluation presents promising processes and devices authorized by Health Canada for the disinfection of single-use N95 masks, as alternatives of last resort in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic and the real shortage of N95 masks. The results for disinfection of N95 masks reported in the literature derive from pilot scale tests. The results of N95 disinfection process testing allow for verification of the safety and feasibility criteria used in this evaluation. Feasibility criteria may vary depending on the disinfection process and device used. It is therefore important to refer to the disinfection instructions for N95 masks provided by the manufacturer of the device used.

An easily accessible short-term option is the disinfection of N95 masks in the low-temperature...

Foreword

This publication uses the term “disinfection” of N95 masks to refer to the chemical or physical process that inactivates infectious agents. It should be noted that the various reference publications and documents on the subject consulted by the Centre d’expertise en retraitement des dispositifs médicaux (CERDM) use the terms “decontamination,” “disinfection,” or both. The CERDM has chosen the term “disinfection” to conform to the reprocessing nomenclature that is generally accepted in Canada (CSA Z314.18). According to this nomenclature, the term decontamination is more general and includes the process of cleaning followed by the inactivation of infectious agents. However, in the context of reprocessing of N95 masks, only one step, aimed at inhibiting various...

Contexte

Ce rapport de l’Enquête québécoise sur la vaccination contre la grippe saisonnière, le pneumocoque, le zona et sur les déterminants de la vaccination présente les résultats d’une enquête populationnelle réalisée en 2018 au Québec. Des données ont été recueillies sur les couvertures vaccinales contre la grippe, contre le pneumocoque et contre le zona et sur les attitudes et les perceptions sur la vaccination. Rappelons que les groupes ciblés par le programme de vaccination 2017-2018 contre la grippe étaient les personnes âgées de 60 ans ou plus, les enfants en bonne santé âgés de 6 à 23 mois, les personnes âgées de 2 ans ou plus atteintes d’une ou plusieurs maladies chroniques, les personnes qui, dans le cadre de leur travail ou de leurs activités...