Update from the Minister

A new federal report has found that rapid tests will help protect seniors in long-term care homes. The Testing and Screening Expert Advisory Panel has recommended that rapid tests be used in long-term care homes and other high-risk settings for screening to identify COVID-19 infections and help prevent outbreaks.

By strengthening screening in long-term care homes, rapid tests can save lives and give families greater confidence that their loved ones are safe. The Government of Canada has provided over 14 million rapid tests to provinces and territories, with more on the way.

LTC+

Over 350 long-term care and retirement homes have joined LTC+, which is an initiative by Canadian Foundation for Healthcare Improvement and the Canadian Patient Safety Institute to help prevent and mitigate the impacts of COVID-19.

LTC+ provides support directly to facilities by sharing best practices and lessons learned, by providing coaching, and seed funding to strengthen pandemic plans and infection prevention and control supports (like personal protective equipment, other equipment, and additional staff time).

The Government has expanded LTC+ so that it can reach up to 1,000 long-term care and retirement homes. Teams that register by February 26 will be eligible to receive up to three dedicated coaching sessions and up to $10,000 to support improving their pandemic preparedness. More details are available at www.cfhi-fcass.ca/LTC.

Beware of vaccine scams

Some Canadians are being targeted by scammers who are offering COVID-19 vaccination kits and other related products. The federal government is offering vaccines for free for all Canadians. We have reserved enough doses so that every Canadian who wants a vaccine will be able to get it by September.

I want to share some of the ongoing COVID-19 scams to watch out for.

Beware of:

unsolicited calls claiming to be from a private company or from health care providers offering home vaccination kits for an upfront fee
COVID-19 or vaccination themed emails or text messages that require you to open attachments or follow links to unfamiliar websites that ask you to reveal sensitive personal and financial details
private companies selling fraudulent products that claim to treat or prevent COVID-19

Have your say

Do you listen to commercial AM and FM radio stations? The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) is seeking your input to help update its policy on commercial radio.

You can participate here until March 29, 2021.

Sincerely,

Minister Deb Schulte