We are living in extraordinary times. Your safety and that of our staff remain our constant priority. The third wave of the COVID-19 pandemic continues to cause significant disruption to all of our lives, with positive cases in Ontario growing higher than previously recorded. The new COVID-19 variants are more contagious and deadlier than what we have seen to date. The purpose of this letter is to update you on our COVID-19 safety practices and to share resources about the COVID-19 vaccine.

*see updated COVID post from July 2023

Screening for COVID-19 Symptoms

You will be screened by our staff for symptoms of COVID-19 before every visit. This step is mandatory before starting care. This means if you are receiving care multiple times a day, you will be asked these questions multiple times a day to ensure our staff can properly protect themselves. We strongly urge you to answer these questions honestly. Your answers will not impact your care. You will still receive care. The only difference will be the addition of a gown worn by our staff. Refusing to answer the screening questions may result in delayed or suspended service.

Personal Protection Equipment (PPE)

Every time one of our staff enters your home, they must wear a medical mask, eye protection (goggles or face shields) and gloves, every time. If you notice staff not wearing any of these pieces of protection, you can either remind them to wear it or notify us at 905-822-2273 ext. 160. If you are able to wear a mask during your visit, we request that you do so. 

Protecting Yourself from COVID

COVID is extremely dangerous and deadly. We protect you from COVID by having our staff wear proper PPE and by having our staff screen themselves for symptoms daily. If they fail the screener, they do not attend work and are tested before returning to work. You can protect yourself from COVID by adhering to the Provincial guidelines, minimizing who enters your home (only essential care), washing your hands frequently and most importantly, getting your COVID-19 vaccine.

Get Your COVID-19 Vaccine – the #1 Way to Prevent Hospitalization and Death Due to COVID

We want to ensure you remain protected against the deadly impact of COVID. The safest and most effective way to do that is to get your COVID-19 vaccine. You are eligible for the vaccine. You can book it here: https://covid-19.ontario.ca/book-vaccine/ and select “Chronic home health care recipients.” If you need assistance with booking or are homebound and need alternative options, please contact our office for assistance: info@nucleusonline.ca or 905-829-4499.

Nucleus staff have been eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine since the end of February 2021. As of November 30, 2021, Nucleus requires all staff, volunteers and contactors (including agency staff) to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 in order to be scheduled for work.

Our continued vigilance to safety has resulted in zero cases of transmission from person-to-person within Nucleus to date.  Every time we learn of any improvement to be made, we update our practices immediately and without hesitation. If you would like to continue to be updated on the latest information, please send your e-mail to info@nucleusonline.ca.