The best thing you can do to support your health and reduce the risk to the broader community is to get immunized. Vaccines are our best protection against COVID-19 and the safest and most effective way to protect against infection and severe illness.
COVID-19 vaccines are very effective at preventing infection and severe disease. If you have not been immunized yet, book your immunization appointment as soon as possible.
Learn more at COVID-19 Vaccine Frequently Asked Questions.
While masking is no longer mandatory in most public spaces, all AHS sites including acute care, continuing care and community locations, including immunization and lab collection sites province-wide will still require masking.
Anyone who has respiratory virus symptoms should wear a mask for a total of 10 days from the onset of symptoms (even if the symptoms have resolved or improved) when in indoor settings with other individuals.
People at risk of severe outcomes are recommended to wear medical masks when in settings with people outside of their household.
Continuous Masking Remains in Effect at all AHS, APL & Covenant Facilities Provincewide
AHS continues to actively review our COVID-19 policies and directives, including continuous masking in our healthcare facilities.
Continuous masking remains in place in any AHS healthcare setting where there is patient contact. This helps protect our vulnerable patient populations and minimizes the risk of outbreaks in patient care areas, protecting both patients and staff.
Staff working in areas with no direct patient contact are not required to mask continuously. This includes corporate settings, health records department, some laboratory services, and clinical sites that are vacant or not yet commissioned.
We continue to carefully monitor COVID-19 and influenza cases in our hospitals and in the community, and any future decisions on masking will be based on data and on engagement of our staff, physicians and other stakeholders, such as our patient and family advisory councils.
Frequent and careful hand hygiene and staying up to date with all routine immunizations, including COVID-19 and influenza, remain critically important for reducing transmission of respiratory viruses to people most at risk of severe outcomes.
Healthcare workers are encouraged to continue to use good hand hygiene practices and assess each patient encounter using the Point of Care Risk Assessment to determine whether additional protective equipment (PPE), such as gown and gloves, is required. Tools and resources are available for staff to assist in these decisions.
Learn more about masking, including how to wear and care for your mask.
COVID-19 symptoms are similar to influenza and other respiratory illnesses and can range from mild to severe. People with mild symptoms can still spread COVID-19 to others.
Testing is recommended using an at-home rapid test if you have access to one. Rapid antigen tests are available for free at participating pharmacies. Find a pharmacy near you.
If you don’t have a test, test negative, or choose not to test yourself, you should stay home until you feel well enough to resume normal activities and you have been free of fever for 24 hours without the use of fever reducing medication. This is because your symptoms could be caused by a different virus that can be spread to other people.
Learn more about managing mild symptoms at home at COVID-19 Self-Care Guide.
People who have returned from travel outside of Canada within the last 14 days must follow the Government of Canada rules for quarantine.
