OHT-N urges you to prepare for respiratory illness season
30-11-2024 1:55 p.m.
Northumberland County
As you prepare for the holiday season, the Ontario Health Team of Northumberland urges you to be aware that this is also respiratory illness season and has some tips to share.
As the holiday season approaches and the cold weather forces us indoors into crowded settings, the Ontario Health Team of Northumberland reminds everyone that rates of respiratory illness (including influenza, RSV and COVID-19) are expected to rise throughout Ontario.
To minimize the impact in this region, OHT-N partners are again joining forces to issue a call to action to help everyone – patients, caregivers and health-care providers – get through it.
This call to action has three simple goals.
1 – Remind everyone of the steps each of us can take to minimize our risk, both of getting sick and of inadvertently spreading viruses to others.
2 – Promote additional resources available (if we get sick or must care for someone who is ill) beyond primary-care offices and the nearest hospital.
3 – Help raise awareness of the rising rates of respiratory illness in our community.
The Haliburton Kawartha Pine Ridge District Health Unit's Respiratory Infections Dashboard shares the latest data, including weekly emergency-department visits, hospitalizations and outbreaks (including COVID, flu and RSV) to support data-drive decisions for community health and well-being.
Medical Officer of Health Dr. Natalie Bocking urges everyone to continue to protect themselves and each other by staying up to date on vaccinations for flu, COVID and RSV. Up to date means those aged five and older have received a COVID vaccine within the last six months of your last dose or infection. Shots for flu and COVID are available at local pharmacies and primary-care teams. As well, you can book a COVID shot through the health unit at https://www.hkpr.on.ca/ (or call 1-866-888-4577 ext. 1507). If you or someone you know is a high-risk adult age 60 and older, you can also contact the health unit for information on the RSV vaccination.
Masking is not currently mandatory in most areas of the county, but it is a small gesture that can have a big impact on stopping the spread of germs. Consider masking when indoors in crowded public spaces where physical distancing cannot be maintained.
Screen for respiratory symptoms daily, and stay home if you are ill. What feels like a minor cold could be serious if transmitted to someone else.
Wash your hands often, especially when out in public, with soap and water or an alcohol-based hand sanitizer. Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth unless you have just washed your hands.
Should mild symptoms appear, most of us will recover on our own without prescription medications. Self-isolate and rest, drink plenty of fluids and take over-the-counter medications as needed.
There are special considerations for respiratory illness in children, and there's an on-line resource called Family Doctor Tips on Caring For Children with Respiratory Symptoms with advice that includes when to call the doctor or nurse practitioner.
Though hospital emergency departments are very busy places, they may sometimes be the only option for urgent care quickly. The OHT-N recommends this option if you are worried that you or someone you are caring for is seriously ill, if an infant (aged three months or younger) has a fever, if a child is struggling for breath or breathing faster than normal, and if you are concerned about the risk of dehydration.
Otherwise, the OHT-N reminds everyone of other options.
Get free telephone access to a Registered Nurse 24 hours a day, seven days a week, through the Telehealth Ontario service at 1-866-797-0000 (TTY 1-866-797-0007).
Visit the York Super IDA Pharmacy's new walk-in clinic, located at 500 Division St., Cobourg, inside the pharmacy, Hours are weekdays from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. (call 905-72-7171 for more information).
Visit the Port Hope Walk-In Clinic – see Northumberland.ca/PortHope Clinic for more information.
Colborne residents can contact the OHT-N Colborne Rural outreach Clinic, open weekdays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. (except for lunch hour) for in-person primary care support from a Nurse Practitioner for those who do not currently have a local primary-care provider or for those who may need specific temporary support closer to home.
Contact a care provider with the East Region Virtual Care Clinic, open seven days a week from 1 to 9 p.m. - to make an appointment, visit https:/www.virtualcareontario.ca/
Check the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care's Your Health Options site at https://www.ontario.ca/page/your-health
