Public Health is revising its recommendations for vaccination once morest COVID-19 and now invites only Quebecers who have never contracted the virus to receive a booster dose once more this winter or spring.
Unsurprisingly, the national director of public health, Dr.r Luc Boileau, acted on the notice issued two weeks ago by the Quebec Committee on Immunization that the short-term granting of a new dose is not recommended for healthy Quebecers who have already been vaccinated. For the first time since the start of 2023, he provided an update on Thursday on the evolution of the COVID-19 pandemic and on the evolution of other infectious respiratory diseases in Quebec.
The Dr Boileau explained that hybrid immunity, acquired through vaccination and past infection, confers better protection once morest hospitalizations and deaths than single vaccination. He was alongside the Dre Caroline Quach-Thanh, pediatrician and microbiologist-infectiologist at CHU Sainte-Justine.
This is why only people who have never had the disease and who were vaccinated more than six months ago are advised to avail themselves of a new dose. The same recommendation also applies to immunocompromised people, who are asked to update their protection every six months.
According to the Dr Boileau, 75% of Quebecers under 60 have had COVID-19 since the start of the pandemic, in the winter of 2020. As for people over 60, around half have been infected.
Expanded access to Paxlovid
Public Health is reducing the spectrum of people who can benefit from a booster dose just following the National Institute of Excellence in Health and Social Services (INESSS) widened the number of people who can have access to anti-inflammatory treatment. COVID Paxlovid in case of infection.
Formerly reserved for unvaccinated patients and vaccinated people who were immunocompromised or suffering from various illnesses, access to Paxlovid is now extended to anyone aged 70 who has a risk factor, if their last dose was more than six months ago.
INESSS estimates that even younger adults with a risk factor and people in their 70s without risk factors might benefit from Paxlovid, if their doctor deems it necessary.
The scientific institute says it has revised its position following numerous studies carried out on people vaccinated in other countries, as well as observational studies carried out in Quebec which show that this treatment has made it possible to avoid hospitalization of people. elderly vaccinated, but with risk factors.
“The age factor seems very important in the risk of complications, even in vaccinated people who already have at least one risk factor. But for the other categories of the population, nothing has shown us for the moment that Paxlovid reduces the risk of hospitalization, ”explained Thursday Mélanie Tardif, scientific coordinator at INESSS.
No incident
It is not known how many elderly people who have not received a dose for more than six months might benefit from Paxlovid, but a significant proportion of this category of the population received a dose already more than six months ago, indicate the figures from the National Institute of Public Health of Quebec.
According to Mme Late, the challenge in preventing hospitalizations caused by COVID-19 remains that all people who can receive Paxlovid are informed, get tested quickly, at a pharmacy or at a screening center, and go to a pharmacy for treatment. .
For now, INESSS has not identified any incident related to the administration of Paxlovid since the treatment was made available in pharmacies in March 2022, and some contraindications have even been lifted. Indeed, Paxlovid can now be prescribed to people on hemodialysis or suffering from kidney failure if they are infected, whereas this condition was once considered incompatible with treatment.
According to the daily report released Thursday by the Ministry of Health, five additional deaths linked to COVID-19 have been recorded, but they all occurred more than a week ago. In hospitals, 1,439 patients have the coronavirus, including 452 who are hospitalized precisely because of the disease. Of the lot, 25 people are being treated in an intensive care unit.
In addition, the health network is deprived of 2,230 workers who are on preventive withdrawal, in isolation or awaiting screening results.
