University of Toronto

Pandemic Preparedness: H1N1 Influenza

To: All students, staff, faculty

From: Health Sciences Committee on Emergency Preparedness (HSCEP) co: chairs, Dr Sarita Verma and Dr Andrea Sass-Kortsak

Date: Oct. 29, 2009

Re: H1N1 vaccination update: Please note the following important message

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The H1N1 vaccine is now available and will be shortly accessible for free to the public.

All staff, faculty and students are strongly encouraged to be vaccinated to protect yourself, your family and your patients.

Where you are also a Hospital employee (such as Research Fellows, Residents and Clinical Faculty) you must abide by Hospital policy with respect to vaccination .

For Health Professional Students, all Toronto Academic Hospitals have assured us that they will provide vaccinations to students in clinical placements at their sites.

For all other faculty, staff and students your earliest and primary access to vaccine is at the mass public vaccination clinics as outlined below.

Toronto Public Health

Toronto Public Health begins vaccinations on October 29,2009.

For more information about the location and hours of operation of City clinics, visit:

http://www.toronto.ca/health/cdc/h1n1/clinics.htm

Peel Public Health Clinics

Peel Public Health begins vaccinations on October 28th. For more information about the location and hours of operation of Peel Region clinics, visit:

http://www.peelregion.ca/health/topics/commdisease/h1n1-clinic-sched.htm

University of Toronto Clinics

STUDENTS AND RESIDENTS

Toronto & Peel Public Health have agreed to supply vaccine to Student Health Services at the University of Toronto for students. The vaccine is free, you will require a student card to receive the vaccine at a University of Toronto vaccine clinic.

We expect to receive the vaccine in the near future. As soon as we finalize plans with the Public Health authorities we will communicate the details of the U of T clinics at www.preparedness.utoronto.ca

However, we encourage students – especially those who are in clinical settings – to visit one of the public health mass vaccination clinics before that time.

FACULTY and STAFF

Public Health authorities have determined that they will not distribute H1N1 vaccine to employers for their employees due to the existence of the mass vaccination clinics. Therefore, we encourage faculty and staff to visit one of the public health clinics. Some family physicians may also have H1N1 vaccine available.

General information about the H1N1 vaccine is available here:

What you need to know before receiving the H1N1 Flu Vaccine

http://www.phac-aspc.gc.ca/alert-alerte/h1n1/vacc/know-savoir-eng.php

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Dear Students and Instructors at the Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work:

Many of you will know that we are anticipating a flu pandemic this fall. In the event of a flu pandemic the University of Toronto and the Faculty of Social Work will make every effort to continue the educational activities of students with the minimum disruption possible. We will provide up-to-date information to students, faculty, and clinical educators during any disruption of normal educational activities caused by a pandemic. We will also regularly update the information posted on this website and there will be information sent out through our listservs.

The links below will direct you to information that has been developed specifically for students and instructors. For additional information, you can also visit the University of Toronto's main website http://www.preparedness.utoronto.ca. Reliable information can also be found at the Public Health Agency of Canada http://www.phac-aspc.gc.ca/alert-alerte/swine_200904-eng.php.

H1N1 Preparedness update for all students, staff and faculty (Oct. 13, 2009)

If you are a student and would like more information from the University of Toronto, click here.

If you are an instructor, click here.

Information for field practicum sites, click here. 

• If you are absent due to flu during the anticipated H1N1 flu pandemic (Fall 2009), you are responsible for contacting your classroom and field instructors to notify them of your first day of absence. Students are expected to stay at home until they are free of symptoms and instructors will make accommodations for missed classes or delayed assignments on a case-by-case basis. Due to the anticipated exceptional circumstances of this flu season, medical documentation will not be required for an absence under 7 days. In order to receive academic accommodation, students will need to record all flu-related absences through the Student Web Service of ROSI (www.rosi.utoronto.ca). The University will rely on this absence record to monitor the numbers and locations of student absences for academic planning, so if at all possible, students should record their absence as soon as it begins. They should also remember to record the last day of their absence as soon as they are able to return to classes. The absence declaration may be completed online while the student is absent up till and including the day that the student returns to class. The ROSI-generated absence record should be provided to instructors as documentation of illness on the day of return.

• Click here for frequently asked questions and answers from FIFSW about H1N1.

• Click here for FIFSW Instructor Information.