COVID-19 vaccination bookings
Albertans can now pre-order COVID-19 vaccinations, along with influenza vaccinations, through the Alberta Vaccine Booking System. Following the pre-order, Albertans will receive a reminder notification prompting them to book their appointment in early October. For most Albertans, there will be a fee associated with the COVID-19 vaccination; the cost is yet to be determined. The Alberta government is recommending that Albertans talk to their primary care provider to determine the best course of action for their vaccination needs.
Saskatoon Farms gastrointestinal outbreak: New AHS website available
A new AHS website is available for primary care providers and patients regarding the presumed E.coli and amoebiasis outbreak located within the Saskatoon Farm in Foothills County. It is your go-to source for information on outbreak information, recommended testing, stool collection kit locations and frequently asked questions.
Pneumococcal vaccine program expansion
As of Aug. 1, the provincially funded 20-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (Pneu-C20 or Prevnar 20TM) eligibility has been expanded to: - Adults 65 years of age and older, regardless of risk factors, who have never received a dose of Pneu-C20 vaccine.
- Adults 18 years of age and older who belong to one or more of the groups at increased risk for Invasive Pneumococcal Disease (IPD) will continue to be eligible for one dose of Pneu-C20, provided they have not received a prior dose.
Atypical opioid-related overdose presentations from the Canadian Centre on Substance Use and Addiction
Information about atypical opioid-related overdose presentations is available in issue five of the Substance Use Trends in Canada newsletter. It includes information about typical versus atypical opioid-related overdose presentations, what you need to know and what this means for health care providers.
Lab bulletin: Alberta Precision Laboratories resumes Urea Breath Testing (UBT) for all Zones
Effective Aug. 5, Urea Breath Testing (UBT) has resumed after UBT samples were temporarily sent out-of-province to Dynacare.
All UBT testing will now be performed by Alberta Precision Laboratories (APL) and will be reported via the usual reporting channels under the UBT fields. For samples that were referred out to Dynacare, a copy of the UBT result will be faxed or mailed to the ordering clinic. These results will also appear under “Miscellaneous External Test” folder in Connect Care.
Lab bulletin: Return to Complement C3 (C3) Testing to Edmonton Base Lab
Effective August 5, Edmonton Base Lab (EBL) has resumed Complement C3 (C3) testing for Edmonton, North and Central Zone patients – with the exception of patients located at the University of Alberta Hospital.
Due to disrupted reagent supply, C3 testing was referred to the Diagnostic and Scientific Centre (DSC) in Calgary. The EBL Chemistry assay for C3 is performed by immunoturbidimetry on the Siemens Atelica and has a different reference interval than the Calgary C3 test. Rebaselining is recommended for C3 in patients that require serial measurements due to lack of result interchangeability and use of a different reference interval.
Lab bulletin: Changes to CSF Prion Disease Testing Panel (Creutzfeldt-Jacob Disease (CJD)) Protein Screen
As of Aug. 1, the National Microbiology Lab updated its prion disease cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) test panel. End-Point Quaking-Induced Conversion (EP-QulC) assay has superior sensitivity for detecting CJD from CSF. This assay will be performed for routine testing whereas the previous hTau test is available by request only and the 14-3-3 γ test is being discontinued. If testing for hTau is required when performing a CJD screen on CSF, consult with the APL ProvLab Microbiologist/Virologist on-call.
FYI: Hereditary prion diseases should still be assessed with a nucleic acid test on blood, not CSF.
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