Preparing for the Triple Epidemic: Influenza, COVID-19, and RSV in Quebec – Expert Insights, Vaccines, and Precautions

2023-09-20 19:30:00

As summer draws to a close, Quebecers must prepare for a “triple epidemic” of respiratory viruses this fall, as Public Health warns that influenza, COVID-19 and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) will circulate simultaneously.

• Read also: COVID-19: experts once more recommend wearing a mask

“These are the three main viruses […] during COVID-19, other viruses circulated very little, but now, they have really come back in force and they will be present this year,” says the public health doctor at the National Institute of Public Health of Quebec, Nicholas Brousseau.

Even if the flu season has not yet started here, we can expect a prevalence of the type A influenza virus (AH1N1), maintains the expert.

At least this is the scenario that occurred in Australia, where the winter season, the opposite of ours, started a little earlier than expected.

The Australian flu season is an important benchmark for public health experts here, says Dr Brousseau. “It was a good season, but not catastrophic” illustrates the expert.

Children hospitalized

A highlight this year on the other side of the globe, 71% of hospital admissions for confirmed cases of influenza were for children under 16 years of age, underlines the Australian Department of Health.

However, it is impossible to predict whether the situation will repeat itself here in the coming months, warns Dr. Brousseau.

Listen to the Everything you need to know segment in 24 minutes with Alexandre Moranville-Ouellet on QUB radio:

Presence of 200,000 cases of COVID-19

Furthermore, COVID-19 has been on the rise for several weeks in Quebec.

Commonly called Eris, it is the EG.5 variant, which has been prevalent since its arrival last July.

According to the most recent estimates from the INSPQ, there were between 127,000 and 204,000 cases of COVID-19 during the first week of September.

Vaccines

A new vaccine has just been approved by Health Canada once morest COVID-19. It is capable of protecting once morest the Omicron XBB.1.5 subvariant, a distant cousin of Eris.

“This vaccine contains close components of the Eris variant, so we expect vaccinated people to have good protection,” explains Dr. Brousseau.

The arrival of this vaccine should occur in the coming weeks in Quebec, supports the Ministry of Health.

Furthermore, the flu vaccination campaign will begin in October, while it is already possible to make an appointment on the Clic Santé platform.

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