Dr. Michael Schweitzer Family Medicine Clinic

06/26/2022

If you have ever been diagnosed with "fatty liver"...
Please ask to be booked for a telephone call - to discuss new recommendations with our Nurse Laura.

03/10/2022

MINISTRY OF HEALTH:
Not sure if you should isolate or self-monitor after being exposed to someone who has COVID-19?

Take the self-assessment and learn what to do next.

Visit: https://covid-19.ontario.ca/self-assessment/

03/10/2022

ONTARIO MINISTRY OF HEALTH:
Ontario has updated its COVID-19 isolation guidelines for individuals who have been exposed to someone who has COVID-19.

If you’re sick, please remember to stay home to help keep our communities healthy and safe.

Visit ontario.ca/exposed to learn more.

01/14/2022

Informative post from Hamilton Health Sciences:
With the rapid spread of the Omicron variant and high emergency department volumes there’s a critical need to maintain access to health care for urgent and emergency situations. Therefore, we're urging the community to learn about the many care options available in the city and what to do if experiencing COVID symptoms.

https://www.hamiltonhealthsciences.ca/share/healthcare-options-as-omicron-spreads/?fbclid=IwAR3rPh3D8VE3tXSWgnp-8GGSxlnqqp7LiCfCo2G_SsRYwv_4qg4afPmiWR8

There’s a critical need maintain access to health care for urgent and emergency situations due to rapid spread of Omicron and high ED volumes

11/25/2021

Have you received your flu shot yet?
We have a limited supply available of both regular and high dose.
Please give our office a call so we can get you booked in!

10/24/2021

Our next Flu Shot Clinic is Sunday November 7th
Contact our office directly to book your spot!
An appointment is necessary.

10/15/2021

2021-2022 Flu Vaccinations

This year public health has given us 2 vaccines for the 65 and older population. Public Health and NACI (national advisory committee on immunizations) has instructed that we are to give.

FLUAD: To people 65 and older.

Trivalent flu vaccines protect against three strains of the virus:
*influenza A (H1N1)
*influenza A (H3N2)
*an influenza B virus

Fluad® Fluad®7 (Seqirus Inc., Kirkland, Quebec) is an egg-based, surface antigen, trivalent inactivated influenza vaccine that is adjuvanted with MF59C.1 (an oil-in-water emulsion composed of squalene as the oil phase, stabilised with the surfactants polysorbate 80 and sorbitan trioleate, in citrate buffer). Fluad® contains a standard dose of hemagglutinin antigen (15 mcg) for each of three influenza strains recommended by the WHO. Fluad® was not available in the UIIP in the 2020-2021 season, but has been part of the UIIP in previous seasons for adults 65 years of age and older.

Fluzone (High dose) to those 65 and older who have multiple comorbidities.

Fluzone® High-Dose Quadrivalent Fluzone® High-Dose Quadrivalent8 (Sanofi Pasteur Limited, Toronto, Ontario) is an egg-based, split virion, quadrivalent inactivated influenza vaccine. Fluzone® High-Dose Quadrivalent contains a high dose of hemagglutinin antigen (60 mcg) for each of the four influenza strains recommended by the WHO for the northern hemisphere’s 2021-2022 influenza season.

So you can only have Fluzone if you have 3 of the following (sorry, no exceptions as they only provide us with small amounts).
COPD
Cancer
Diabetes
Obesity
Chronic Heart failure
Active Cancer

We understand that everyone over 65 wants to have the “high dose” but there is not enough to do that. Yes, you may be able to find a pharmacy that gives and you can choose to opt out today and find one. We can only give what public health sends us based on guidelines from NACI and PH

09/30/2021

Learn, Reflect, Remember

Every Child Matters 🧡

08/26/2021

In the last week we've been getting requests for "CoVID19 vaccine exemption letters"

The only reason for a vaccine exemption is a true allergy to the vaccine or one of its components.

However, if anyone still wants to discuss the situation with the doctor, please call to make a phone appointment.

08/06/2021

Call our office to Pre-Book your Flu Vaccine for October 2021!

07/20/2021

Hi folks, our apologies that we've not updated in a while.
Here is our current Office Policy in regards to appointments during the current CoVID19 Pandemic.

1) Adult patients who have received their first or both doses of the CoVID19 vaccine, are welcome for urgent and non-urgent issues as long as they have no respiratory symptoms (eg. runny nose, cough, loss of sense of smell, fever, shortness of breath)

2) Adult patients who have received their first or both doses of the CoVID19 vaccine but have respiratory symptoms can be seen for urgent matters that cannot be handled virtually - but will receive a rapid CoVID19 nasal swab test before their appointment can begin. Only negative test results will be allowed into the office.

3) Unvaccinated adult patients with respiratory symptoms are requested to get a Public Health CoVID19 test and, if negative, can come to the office for urgent matters.

4) Children will be seen for necessary issues as well as routine care and immunizations but parents and caregivers must either be vaccinated or have a rapid CoVID19 test on arrival and cannot themselves have respiratory symptoms.

Wearing a face mask is mandatory in our office. Our staff is working hard to ensure physical distancing is occurring during your visit and are performing routine sanitization procedures throughout the office.

We recognize that these policies might cause some inconvenience. We apologize for this but it is necessary to ensure the safety of our staff and patients including young children and infants in the office who are not or cannot get vaccinated.

During normal office hours virtual care is available by appointment over the phone. Dr. Schweitzer is happy to speak to everyone about their important medical issues. Your care remains very important during these trying times.

We are looking forward to when this pandemic ends and all patients can attend the office without worry.

03/22/2021

Residents and patients aged 75 and older: starting today, anyone aged 75 and older (born in or before 1946) can book their COVID-19 vaccine appointments online at https://covid-19.ontario.ca/book-vaccine/ or call the Public Health Services COVID-19 Vaccine Hotline at 905-974-9848, option 7. Please be patient and only access the booking tool or call for support if you are eligible for an appointment.

Find out how you can schedule your COVID-19 vaccine appointments