2023-12-19 11:37:35
(Montreal) One million Quebecers have contracted a respiratory infection in the last two weeks. “And it will continue to increase,” warned Tuesday the national director of public health, Dr Luc Boileau.
The circulation of respiratory infectious diseases continues its upward trend in the province. “Even if a lot of people have already had COVID, there are still some circulating,” said the Dr Boileau at a press conference Tuesday followingnoon. Between 40,000 and 50,000 people contract COVID-19 every day in the province.
This increase is explained in particular by the spread of the new JN.1 variant. “It is not a variant which is more dangerous, but it is much more contagious”, specifies the Dr Boileau.
Influenza A also continues to gain ground, with 10.9% of tests being positive. “We are in a period of moderate activity, but which will move towards a period of much more intense activity”, says the Dr Boileau.
For its part, the respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is on a plateau, but continues to have an impact on pediatric hospitals, indicates the national director of public health. The positivity rate remains high at 10.2%.
Protecting toddlers
As the holiday season approaches, the Dr Boileau urges sick people to stay home and wear a mask until their symptoms disappear if they have social interactions. He also invites the population, particularly vulnerable people, to be vaccinated once morest COVID-19 and influenza.
For her part, the president of the Association of Pediatricians of Quebec, Dre Marie-Claude Roy calls on parents to protect their little ones. “A virus in a child or an adult can be unpleasant and can cause fever and discomfort. But in a very small baby, it more often leads to hospitalization,” she told The Press.
As holiday gatherings approach, she therefore invites parents of young children to avoid large gatherings. “We know that it is a concentration of virus transmission, then we can have an aunt who has a cold and who is in great shape, but for the baby, it can turn into hospitalization for several days,” says She.
Treat yourself at home
With the circulation of respiratory viruses, the holiday holidays and the labor shortage, the situation is “excessively difficult” in the health network, declared Tuesday the Minister of Health, Christian Dubé.
He asked Quebecers to avoid emergencies if their situation does not require immediate care. “There is a large proportion of people who consult emergency rooms who do not have urgent problems and should not go to the emergency room. There are alternatives,” he says.
At the beginning of December, pediatric doctors also invited parents to avoid emergency rooms if their child did not need immediate care. The Dre Laurie Plotnick, medical director of emergencies at the Montreal Children’s Hospital, instead invited parents to contact the 811 line for advice or a medical appointment.
Minister Dubé, however, emphasized on Tuesday that the waiting time to reach 811 is longer than usual. He therefore invites Quebecers to first consult the site quebec.ca to obtain advice on treating themselves at home.
The situation is deteriorating
The situation in emergencies has been “very difficult” for the last four to six weeks, said Tuesday the Dr Gilbert Boucher, president of the Association of Emergency Medicine Specialists of Quebec and emergency physician at the Montreal Heart Institute.
“There are many establishments which are at 150% or 200% [de taux d’occupation]. Even today, more than 1,000 Quebecers are on stretchers waiting for admission. It’s very difficult to take care of new patients,” he says.
PHOTO PATRICK SANFAÇON, LA PRESSE ARCHIVES
The situation in emergencies “has deteriorated dramatically,” Quebec emergency managers denounced last week. In a striking letter addressed to the Minister of Health, the Regroupement des chefs d’urgence du Québec (RCUQ) deplores that emergencies have become “out of control”.
The high traffic in emergency rooms is not without impact for patients. Investigations were opened following the death of two patients in the crowded emergency rooms of Anna-Laberge hospital in Châteauguay at the end of November. One of them died in the waiting room, according to information collected by The Press. At the time of these tragedies, the emergency rooms at Anna-Laberge hospital were very busy. Their occupancy rate exceeded 200% at certain times.
With Fanny Lévesque and Ariane Lacoursière
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