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COVID-19 Community InfoBulletin

Community bulletins contain the latest information about important public health issues.

Getting the COVID-19 vaccine (March 2021)

The COVID-19 vaccine helps protect people against the risk of serious illness, hospitalization and death—especially as variants become more common and contagious. By choosing to be vaccinated, life in Ontario can begin to return to normal.

COVID-19 variants (February 2021)

As viruses reproduce and invade the cells in our body, they inadvertently cause disease and can spontaneously mutate. Since there are billions of COVID-19 viruses reproducing around the world, some virus variants are more effective at infecting us.

COVID-19 vaccine (January 2021)

Vaccines have been used for more than 100 years and are generally considered one of the most effective and inexpensive ways to protect ourselves and others against infectious diseases. Each of them helps us produce an immune response if the real virus should enter our bodies.

Virtual care (December 2020)

Virtual care is another way to receive excellent care from your doctor. In cases when you don’t need in-person treatment, you can now communicate using your phone or your computer—whatever you are comfortable with.

The flu (November 2020)

It’s important to get the flu shot every year, but it’s more important than ever during the COVID-19 pandemic. Both are contagious respiratory diseases that can infect your nose, throat and lungs, weaken your immune system, and spread to other people through droplets.

Masks (September 2020)

Wearing a mask or face covering in public is the best way to help reduce the spread of COVID-19 from infected droplets that come from your nose and mouth—especially when physical distancing is difficult. Depending on where you live, you may even be required to wear one to enter public spaces.

Contact tracing (July 2020)

Contract tracing helps limit the spread of COVID-19 and track who has physically stumbled upon your path. This includes the COVID Alert app, as well as the OMA Pocket Journal (an easy alternative using pencil and paper to track your contacts every day for those who cannot download the app). The Pocket Journal is available in English, French, Arabic, Chinese (simplified), Chinese (traditional), Hindi, Igbo, Italian, Korean, Ojibway, Polish, Portuguese, Punjabi, Russian, Somali, Spanish, Tagalog, Tamil, Thai, Vietnamese and Urdu.

You can also learn about contact tracing in 19 other languages:

The new normal at your doctor’s office (June 2020)

Doctors’ offices have been open since the start of COVID-19, but various factors have changed in health care—much like they have everywhere else. Medical facilities are an integral part of Ontario’s publicly funded, universal health care system, and even more now.

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