Authorized Products by Health Canada

Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is an infectious disease caused by a newly discovered coronavirus. Coronaviruses are a large family of viruses which may cause illness in animals or humans.  In humans, several coronaviruses are known to cause respiratory infections ranging from the common cold to more severe diseases such as Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS).

Those who are infected with COVID-19 may have little to no symptoms. You may not know you have symptoms of COVID-19 because they are similar to a cold or flu.

Symptoms have included:
– Cough
– Fever
– Difficulty breathing
– Pneumonia in both lungs
– In severe cases, infection can lead to death

Symptoms may take up to 14 days to appear after exposure to COVID-19. This is the longest known incubation period for this disease.

https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/services/diseases/2019-novel-coronavirus-infection/symptoms.html
https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019/question-and-answers-hub/q-a-detail/q-a-coronaviruses

Manufacturers and distributors of hard surface disinfectants can make indirect efficacy claims for SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, if these authorized products are already:

– labelled as a broad-spectrum virucide
– carry a specific claim against non-enveloped viruses of the picornaviridae, caliciviridae, astroviridae, reoviridae, or papillomaviridae families or
– carry a specific claim against a specific coronavirus, such as: MERS-CoV, SARS-CoV, Human coronavirus strain 229E

https://www.canada.ca/en/health-canada/services/drugs-health-products/disinfectants/covid-19/information-manufacturers.html

– Operators of community settings should develop or review protocols and procedures for cleaning public spaces. This will help determine where improvements or additional cleaning may be needed.
– Read and follow manufacturer’s instructions for safe use of cleaning and disinfection products (e.g. wear gloves, use in well-ventilated area, allow enough contact time for disinfectant to kill germs based on the product being used).
– Use only approved hard-surface disinfectants that have a Drug Identification Number (DIN). A DIN is an 8-digit number given by Health Canada that confirms the disinfectant product is approved and safe for use in Canada.
– Wash hands with soap and water or use alcohol-based hand sanitizer after removing gloves.
– Use damp cleaning methods such as damp clean cloths, and/or a wet mop. Do not dust or sweep which can distribute virus droplets into the air.
– Contaminated disposable cleaning items (e.g. mop heads, cloths) should be placed in a lined garbage bin before disposing of them with regular waste. Reusable cleaning items can be washed using regular laundry soap and hot water (60-90°C). Clean and disinfect surfaces that people touch often.
– In addition to routine cleaning, surfaces that are frequently touched with hands should be cleaned and disinfected more often, as well as when visibly dirty.
– Shared spaces such as kitchens and bathrooms should also be cleaned more often.

https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/services/publications/diseases-conditions/cleaning-disinfecting-public-spaces.html

Keep your hands clean
– Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds.
– If soap and water are not available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer.
– Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth.
– Cough or sneeze into the bend of your arm.
– Avoid touching surfaces people touch often.
– Instead of a handshake, give a friendly wave or elbow bump.
– Use any necessary personal protective equipment, as directed.

Keep your environment clean
– Use appropriate products to clean and disinfect items like your desk, work surface, phones, keyboards and electronics, cash registers, keypads, elevator buttons, customer service counters and restaurant tables more often, especially when visibly dirty.
– If they can withstand the use of liquids for disinfection, frequently touched electronics such as phones, computers and other devices may be disinfected with 70% alcohol (e.g. alcohol prep wipes).

Keep your distance
– Keep a distance of 2 metres between you, your coworkers, and customers.
– Increase distance between desks, tables and workstations.
– Reduce activities that require close physical proximity or contact with people, such as team meetings.
– Limit any contacts closer than 2 metres to the shortest time possible.

https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/services/publications/diseases-conditions/preventing-covid-19-workplace-employers-employees-essential-service-workers.html

CLEANING: To remove dirt or debris by physical and/or chemical means.
SANITIZING: A mixture of substance(s), that reduces the bacterial population on environmental surfaces and inanimate objects by significant numbers due to the antimicrobial action of the active ingredient(s), but does not destroy all bacteria.
DISINFECTING: A mixture of substance(s), capable of destroying or irreversibly inactivating pathogenic (disease-causing) and potentially pathogenic microorganisms, but not necessarily bacterial spores, present on environmental surfaces and inanimate objects due to the antimicrobial action of the active ingredient(s).

https://www.canada.ca/en/health-canada/services/drugs-health-products/drug-products/applications-submissions/guidance-documents/disinfectants/disinfectant-drugs.html

*Guidelines may differ from province to province, please ensure that you check your provincial guidelines.

Yes as a cleaner. As mentioned by Health Canada: ‘’although they do not claim to kill viruses such as COVID-19, cleaners can help limit the transfer of microorganisms.’’

Therefore, as a best practice, it is strongly recommended to clean first and disinfect after. Doing so, with a cleaner disinfectant will just reinforce the efficacy of the process on both ends. For disinfection, authorized product(s) are recommended.

Dirty surfaces are covered with clusters of germs called biofilm that resist disinfectants. These germs have to be removed before a chemical can effectively kill off any remaining viruses or bacteria.

No. Our Avmor disinfectants have been approved by Health Canada only to be used on hard non-porous surfaces.