Date of publication: June 29, 2022 • 5 hours ago • 3 minute reading The crowds returned to Ste-Catherine St. of Montreal in early June. Photo by Allen McInnis / Montreal Gazette
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COVID-19 is rising due to the emergence of new variants and Quebec residents will need to take steps to protect themselves, the province’s director of public health said on Wednesday.
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“The situation is not what it was about two months ago, or even a few weeks ago,” he said. Luc Boileau at a press conference. “It is growing and spreading a lot, and we call on all people to be vigilant.” Many signs indicate a resurgence of COVID-19, Boileau said, including an increase in cases, transmission to the community, cases and hospitalizations. The number of healthcare workers who are absent due to illness is increasing, which is a particular concern when hospitals are already overcrowded and understaffed due to summer vacations. “Many of you may have noticed an increase in cases between friends and acquaintances,” Boileau said. “Linked to evolving new variants, including BA2.12.1 and BA.4 and BA.5.”
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Officials estimate that the new variants represent up to 85 percent of new cases in the province. Boileau suggested that people wear masks in crowded areas, especially if they belong to high-risk groups, and take their first or second booster dose to boost their immunity. He stressed that this advice is especially relevant for the immunocompromised, those with chronic diseases or those over 60, because they are more likely to suffer serious consequences, such as hospitalization or even death. Individuals are entitled to a booster vaccine three months after the last vaccine or after they were last infected. On Tuesday, the Quebec Ministry of Health reported a net increase of 34 people treated with COVID, for a total of 1,260 in the hospital. There were 35 people in the intensive care unit, a decrease compared to the previous day. An additional four deaths were recorded. And 6,285 healthcare workers reported absences for reasons related to COVID.
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Dr Donald Vinh of McGill University Health Center says Quebec is facing a “perfect storm” of factors including the emergence of new strains of the virus, the weakening of immunity from vaccination or previous infection, and the lifting of public health restrictions. Omicron’s new subtypes BA.4 and BA.5 appear to be gaining ground and finding vulnerable individuals in infections, especially as the mutations appear to be better able to avoid immunity than previous strains. “You put the two together – the new variants and the weakened immunity from either infection, immunization or hybrid – and what happens is that you have a renewed group of vulnerable people with an emerging variant,” Vinh said. “Studies show that taking the fourth dose reduces the risk of infection,” he said.
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“A fourth dose also protects against serious illness, which would be important for people who plan to travel to other countries, but the third dose was more than three months ago,” he said. An increase in cases related to the new variants is observed in many jurisdictions worldwide, Boileau said. In Quebec, health experts predict that hospitalizations could increase to 1,600 in the coming weeks, but the number of hospitalizations and cases was projected to decline after that. That’s below the peak of 3,400 patients in January and 2,400 in April, Boileau said. Based on these numbers and the reduced severity of cases among younger people and those who have been vaccinated, the government has no plans to re-enforce mask orders, he said.
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“When we look at the behavior of variants in other jurisdictions, we do not see that it is a virus that is much more contagious, although it is more contagious,” Boileau said. “With this in mind, we do not think it is right to re-impose controls on the entire population, such as the use of a mask that should have been taken in recent years. “We are not there and we are not going in that direction.” Boileau called on the public to respect those who choose to wear masks, saying they can do so because they are immunocompromised or older or infected and do not want to risk making others sick. Those who are positive and belong to a high-risk group can ask their pharmacists for a prescription for the antiviral drug Paxlovid, which has been shown to reduce the effects, he said. The Canadian press contributed to this report. [email protected] You can find all our coronavirus news at montrealgazette.com/tag/coronavirus. For information on the vaccine passport, click here.Subscribe to our e-mail newsletter dedicated to local COVID-19 coverage in the montrealgazette.com/coronavirusnews.Help support our local journalism with subscribe to the Montreal Gazette here.
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