Stef Controls Infections

Another holiday season is upon us and doesn't look like COVID-19 is going away any time soon 🎄😥 With the rise of Omicron, we need to celebrate the holidays safely so everyone can stay alive to celebrate the next holidays ❤️ COVID-19 can spread at your gathering, even if everyone's fully vaccinated (COVID-19 vaccines protect against severe illness, but it's still possible to be infected and spread the virus to others).

Below are some tips to keep in mind for holiday gatherings - a layered approach is best:

• consider virtual celebrations 🖥️📱
• choose lower-risk activities when gathering with people outside your immediate household, i.e. outdoor gatherings or in a well-ventilated indoor space (windows open) 🪟💨
• keep attendance list small 📝
• refrain from attending if you are feeling ill 🤧
• get rapid tested for COVID-19 immediately prior to the gathering (use with caution though!) 👃
• keep a distance of 2 meters from other guests if not wearing masks, i.e. when eating or drinking 👤↔️2️⃣↔️👤
• wear a mask as much as possible, particularly when singing or shouting 😷
• regularly perform hand hygiene 🤲🧼
• use more caution if you're at risk of more severe disease or outcomes from COVID-19, i.e. elderly individuals, people with immunocompromising conditions, people with chronic medical conditions, etc. 🏥
• try to limit your use of substances so you can make safer decisions and are better able to follow public health measures 🥂
• get vaccinated! Get your first or second dose of the vaccine if you haven't already, or your booster dose if eligible 💉🩹

How are you planning on celebrating? Wishing everyone a safe and happy holidays! ❤️🎁🎉🎄

Sources:
https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/services/diseases/2019-novel-coronavirus-infection/prevention-risks/private-indoor-gatherings.html

https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/daily-life-coping/holidays/celebrations.html

https://www.ontario.ca/page/celebrate-safely-during-covid-19

Yesterday was the second annual Infection Preventionist Day.

Oftentimes the infection prevention and control (IPAC) team works behind-the-scenes, ensuring appropriate practices are being followed to prevent the spread of infection to patients, staff and visitors. It's easy to overlook the hard work done by the IPAC team, thinking that we only deal with hand hygiene and taking people off isolation precautions. It only took a pandemic for everyone to finally recognize the extent of the work we do.

Yes, hand hygiene and assessing isolation precautions are part of our program, but so is managing outbreaks, providing recommendations on room placements, educating staff, monitoring practice, keeping track of healthcare-associated infections, ensuring a clean hospital environment, etc. It's impossible to list all the aspects of a hospital system we're involved in, but you can imagine how infection prevention is involved in a lot of processes.

Thank you APIC () for recognizing the hard, tireless work that us infection control practitioners do day in and day out. The pandemic has pushed us to our limits and we still keep going. We do it for you, to keep everyone as safe as possible. In light of the third wave in Canada, healthcare systems are strained and we are struggling to provide the best care.

Please everyone, COVID hasn't gone away yet. If you choose to hang out with people outside of your bubble, keep your masks on at the very least. We're almost there. Every day, more and more people are getting vaccinated. We're almost there 🙏

A brief summary of the COVID-19 variants of concern in terms of their origins 🌎, transmissibility patterns 🦠, disease severity 😵, re-infection 🔁, diagnostic testing 🔬 and COVID-19 vaccine effectiveness 💉. Information may have changed since the research was gathered by Public Health Ontario, however their interim guidance document was just published on February 10 📅.

HOW DO WE PROTECT OURSELVES AGAINST THESE VARIANTS?! 😱😵😱😵
There is no evidence to suggest that these variants are spread in different ways compared to the non-variant strain. Therefore, it makes it so much more important to follow the existing public health recommendations including:
• Physical distancing 🧍 ↔️ 🧍
• Wearing a 2- or 3-layered mask appropriately (no masks under noses or chins, people! 🤦🏻‍♀️)
• Hand hygiene 👐🧼
• Staying home if experiencing COVID-19-like symptoms (except to go get tested) 🤒
• Postponing social gatherings, non-essential travel, etc.
• Getting the vaccine if available 💉

I know everyone is tired of this pandemic, but this will end eventually! Let's do our part and stop the spread of COVID-19 👊

Source:
https://t.co/NMhekjgs6W @ Toronto, Ontario

Swipe left to see if two masks are better than one! 👈😷

TL;DR two masks aren't necessary if you're wearing a mask that has at least two layers!

Sources:⁠
https://www.health.com/condition/infectious-diseases/coronavirus/does-wearing-two-masks-prevent-covid⁠
⁠
https://blogs.webmd.com/public-health/20201106/is-wearing-two-masks-better-than-one⁠
⁠
https://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2020/11/03/929555568/coronavirus-faqs-are-3-masks-better-than-1-will-mouthwash-keep-you-safe @ Toronto, Ontario

EVERYTHING HAPPENS FOR A REASON.
It's cliché but it's true, at least for me. I didn't plan on working in infection control until a series of events led me to discover the field. I will forever be grateful for all my mentors along the way, and for the support from my family and friends ♥️

Now I'd like to pay it forward by advocating about infection control as a potential career option for others who may be interested in it as well, but have never heard of it or never discovered it! I want to be a part of the mentoring of the next generation of infection control practitioners.

This post is my personal path to infection control, but there are so many other possibilities that could lead you to the same destination. If you are interested in the field of infection control, please reach out to me and ask me all the questions you have 😄 @ Toronto, Ontario

Side effects of the COVID-19 vaccine may include: pure joy, giddiness, happiness, elation, excitement, relief ♥️

So thankful to have been able to receive the COVID-19 vaccine today and be one step closer to kicking this pandemic's ass once and for all 💪

Proud to be on the right side of history 🙌

Who's gotten their COVID-19 vaccines? Who's excited to get it? Let me know your thoughts in the comments!

Here is Part 2 of my COVID-19 vaccine myths series! Hopefully you found this helpful and easy-to-understand 😊 As more myths and questions arise, I would be happy to address them.

Sources:⁠
⁠
https://www.mayoclinichealthsystem.org/hometown-health/featured-topic/covid-19-vaccine-myths-debunked⁠
⁠
https://www.aarp.org/health/drugs-supplements/info-2020/covid-vaccine-myths.html⁠
⁠
https://www.memorialhermann.org/health-wellness/health/vaccine-myths?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=paid-social&utm_content=4307021805&utm_campaign=www-covid19_fy21&utm_term=_⁠
⁠
https://ca.finance.yahoo.com/news/6-dangerous-covid-19-vaccine-myths-debunked-190229451.html?guccounter=2⁠
⁠
https://www.uabmedicine.org/documents/142028/930424/COVID-19+Vaccine+Myths.pdf/5eec8f22-e57f-2a1c-df16-99df8bf7b727⁠
⁠
https://coronavirus.ohio.gov/wps/portal/gov/covid-19/covid-19-vaccination-program/19-vaccine-myths-vs-facts/19-vaccine-myths-vs-facts @ Toronto, Ontario

I've been hearing a lot of concerns about the COVID-19 vaccine so I thought I'd do some research and provide solid, scientific evidence in response to the most common questions I've heard 📚🔬. Personally, I did have concerns about the safety of the vaccine but after looking into it, it's clear that the proven benefits significantly outweigh the potential risks ⚖️🙌.

Did this post help clear some things up for you? Any questions you have about the COVID-19 vaccine I can address in my next installment? 👇

Sources:⁠
⁠
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/vaccine-benefits/facts.html⁠
⁠
https://www.mayoclinichealthsystem.org/hometown-health/featured-topic/covid-19-vaccine-myths-debunked⁠
⁠
https://www.aarp.org/health/drugs-supplements/info-2020/covid-vaccine-myths.html⁠
⁠
https://ca.finance.yahoo.com/news/6-dangerous-covid-19-vaccine-myths-debunked-190229451.html⁠
⁠
https://news.sanfordhealth.org/coronavirus-disease-2019-covid-19/vaccine-myths-vs-facts/⁠
⁠
https://www.uabmedicine.org/documents/142028/930424/COVID-19+Vaccine+Myths.pdf/5eec8f22-e57f-2a1c-df16-99df8bf7b727⁠
⁠
https://twitter.com/meganranney/status/1338841313001803776⁠ @ Toronto, Ontario

Canada, you can be really pretty sometimes 😍 but you also really hurt my face 🥶

Happy Holidays! Wishing everyone and their loved ones a safe, happy and healthy holiday season. Don't forget who's lurking in the background 👀🦠

It can be tempting to have even small family gatherings but these still come with risks of COVID spread and you want to be able to see your loved ones next holiday season ♥️ Stay with those in your household, and if you live alone, join the bubble of one other household. Meet virtually 💻📱so we can all meet in-person next year 👥🙏

The current information about the new COVID-19 variant identified in the U.K. 🇬🇧

This is why it's extremely important to continue following the public health measures. It takes two to tango so even if you're only seeing one person at a time, the infection can spread exponentially that way 📈 It's easy to let our guards down around people we know and trust, but people can be contagious up to 2 days before even showing symptoms!

This holiday season 🎄🎁:
• see people virtually (tag me in your virtual party posts, I love seeing them!)
• clean your hands frequently
• wear a mask
• maintain physical distance from others
• get your flu vaccine and your COVID-19 vaccine once available to you

What questions do you have about the new COVID-19 variant? 🦠🧫🔬

Sources:⁠
⁠
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-55382212⁠
⁠
https://www.wsj.com/articles/u-k-lockdowns-prompt-travel-bans-to-block-new-covid-19-strain-11608469676⁠
⁠
https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/british-coronavirus-strain-investigating-1.5849235⁠
⁠
https://www.cnn.com/2020/12/20/uk/uk-coronavirus-variant-intl-gbr/index.html⁠
⁠
https://www.ctvnews.ca/health/coronavirus/what-we-know-about-the-u-k-s-new-novel-coronavirus-variant-1.5239317 @ Toronto, Ontario

Happy Sunday! ☀️ Every double-tap puts a smile on an essential worker's face ♥️😄

Don't forget to wear your mask, clean your hands and stay away from others 🦠😷 @ Toronto, Ontario