Residents and staff of long-term care and retirement homes suffered greatly during the COVID-19 pandemic. How do we make sure they’re protected?
During the COVID-19 pandemic in Canada, more than 80% of COVID-related deaths were associated with long-term care homes, and in Ontario, more than 60% of COVID-related deaths were long-term care homes residents. The project team, led by Dr. Christine Fahim, Scientist at the Knowledge Translation Program of Unity Health Toronto, sought to ensure that individuals working in long-term care homes and retirement homes would be better protected from COVID-19 and Influenza.
To do this, they developed the Vaccine+ project. Vaccine+ is a branch of the Wellness Hub program, whose aim is to support group living settings in preventing and managing infectious disease outbreaks, and optimizing occupational and mental health (well-being) during and after the COVID-19 pandemic.
The spread of misinformation and disinformation about vaccines has been steadily increasing with time, and this issue became much worse during the COVID-19 pandemic. Unfortunately, this led to a drop in vaccination rates. The focus of Vaccine+ is on promoting vaccine uptake through education, and the main goal is to increase health literacy, acceptance, and uptake of COVID-19 and Influenza vaccinations among long-term care home and retirement home staff in Ontario.
The Vaccine+ activities to promote uptake included a ‘Vaccine Champions’ online course aimed at long-term care and retirement home staff, and virtual Town Halls where participants brought their questions about vaccines to experts. Ninety-eight staff and leaders from across all regions of Ontario completed the course, and more than 230 people attended the Town Halls.
The course has been well-received, with one participant noting “The course was very informative, and was compiled of numerous resources that will be very beneficial to anyone wishing to become a ‘Vaccine Champion’”.
Another participant said, “I was very enthusiastic to take this vaccine champion course. Very informative, highly relevant, engaging, and simply presented for easy understanding. As an IPAC Lead it has strengthened my confidence in addressing any common concern with empathy and evidence-based messaging. Overall superb!”
What’s next for Vaccine+? Now that the courses and Town Halls have wrapped, the team is looking at feedback from participants, and exploring ways to sustain this important work. To learn about COVID-19 and Influenza vaccines, visit the project website here.
Vaccine+ is funded through the Public Health Agency of Canada’s Immunization Partnership Fund.