Table 2.

Family physicians pandemic roles and activities by pandemic stage in four regions in Canada.

Pandemic stages
Pre-pandemic	Phased closure and re-opening	Acute care crisis	Vaccination	Pandemic recovery	Family physicians’ pandemic roles and activities
✓	✓	✓	✓	✓	Provide leadership at clinic, institutional, or regional levels
✓	✓				Implement infection prevention and control
✓	✓				Screen patients (active and passive screen)
✓	✓				Test patients or refer patients for testing
✓	✓				Advise patients on isolation/quarantine
✓	✓				Monitor COVID-19 patients recovering at home
	✓				Use special procedures to access supplies (swabs and personal protective equipment)
	✓				Educate patients about COVID-19, and infection control
	✓				Triage patients requiring in-person care
	✓			✓	Modulate referrals to elective, specialist, surgical care; imaging, and/or lab testing
	✓				Use virtual and telephone visits
	✓				Direct patients to assessment centres/telephone triage lines
	✓				Staff assessment centres
	✓				Identify and support vulnerable patients (eg, frailty and addictions)
	✓				Support travellers requiring screening/testing/isolation
	✓				Support community-based residential facilities experiencing outbreaks
	✓				Update care plans/goals for long-term care residents
		✓			Staff field hospitals or mobile health clinics
		✓			Assist with capacity in emergency departments and hospitals
			✓		Identify and support patients prioritized for vaccination
			✓		Address vaccine hesitancy
			✓		Staff vaccination centres and mobile clinics
				✓	Participate in evaluations of pandemic response

Phases may not occur in a linear sequence and not all phases will occur in each region or pandemic. The phased closure and re-opening, acute care crisis, and vaccination stages may overlap.