Information on Covid-19

The health and safety of our researchers, students, staff and volunteers is our top priority as we continue to monitor the Covid-19 pandemic.

We are taking guidance provided through Shared Health and the University of Manitoba, and will provide regular updates to keep you informed and reduce risk.

Governments and institutions are taking a wide range of responses, including reducing or eliminating travel and other measures of social distancing.

With our administrative team and staff fully functioning off-site, we ask that all staff from the University of Manitoba to change their voicemail greetings to reflect their current status. Please use the attached voice recording until further notice.

At this time, we are continuing to engage and enroll our research participants, and will follow precautionary measures recommended to screen visits. As such, we have developed a modified screening tool from Shared Health for scheduling research participants’ visits for the immediate future.

Please follow the attached protocol as you reach out to your collective participants before scheduling a site visit.

For those participants already scheduled, please reach out to confirm they meet the current criteria to reduce risk prior to them attending the facilities.

As recommendations are updated by Shared Health, we will modify procedures accordingly.

The following advice from Manitoba Health and the Public Health Agency of Canada is outlined below:

Manitoba Health recommends self-isolation for the following groups for 14 days after departing the area, or since their last known contact or exposure:

· travelers returning from the province of Hubei;

· travelers returning from Iran;

· contacts of a confirmed or probable case of COVID-19; and

· laboratory workers exposed during work.

Self-monitoring for symptoms of COVID-19 is recommended for the following groups for 14 days after return to Canada, or since their last known contact or exposure:

· all returning international travelers; and

· close contacts (within 2 meters/ 6 feet) of individuals with flu-like symptoms who have traveled internationally within 14 days prior to becoming sick.

Travelers who develop cold or flu-like symptoms within 14 days of returning to Canada should contact Health Links/Info Sante at 204-788-8200 or toll-free 1-888-315-9257 to determine if testing for COVID-19 should be considered. In cases where testing is not recommended, they should self-isolate until they are well.

Information on self-monitoring and self-isolation can be found at:

· Novel Coronavirus fact sheet (contains advice for self-monitoring)

· Self-Isolation fact sheet

Returning travelers from any of the countries experiencing community transmission of COVID-19 (China, Hong Kong, Iran, Italy, Japan, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, Vietnam) who are experiencing cold or flu-like symptoms within 14 days of returning to Canada, should be tested for COVID-19. Contact Health Links-Info Santé for more information.

For a complete list of countries reporting COVID-19 cases see the Public Health Agency of Canada’s Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) website.

If you are planning to see a health care provider about suspected COVID-19, please inform your health care provider either when calling for an appointment or when presenting to make an appointment so that appropriate protective measures can be taken.

In terms of precautions to reduce risk, you are encouraged to:

· Wash your hands frequently and use hand sanitizer when needed (every effort is being made to keep dispensing units stocked, but due to a global shortage in supply, some units may not dispense product; in those cases please wash your hands at the nearest sink).

· Cough or sneeze into your elbow.

· If you have a severe cold or the flu, stay home.