COVID-19 Update: “Gradual and cautious resumption of services”
The Ministry of Health’s Emergency Operations Centre (EOC) has clarified the recently revised Directive #2.
The Directive says that “non-urgent and non-emergent surgeries and procedures will cautiously and gradually resume in pediatric specialty hospitals and other settings such as private hospitals and independent health facilities to alleviate pressures from deferred care.”
The College has now been told that “this would include regulated health professionals in settings outside of public hospitals, such as dentists.”
The Ministry emphasizes that “this gradual and cautious resuming of services will be at the discretion and clinical judgement of health care professionals, who are in the best position to determine what procedures are urgent or emergent, and how to safely begin resuming procedures…”.
The College recommends giving priority to paediatric dental care, and patient situations with greater implications for risk of harm, should they be delayed for a longer period of time.
Any resumption of surgeries or procedures should be consistent with the principles of proportionality, minimizing risk of harm to patients, equity and reciprocity. More information on these principles is available in the Directive.We remind all dentists to continue to follow COVID-19: Managing infection risks during in-person dental care.