More than two years and six waves later, it is safe to say that Quebec is fed up with this pandemic.
And with the long weekend ahead, many people will plan to gather with friends and family, especially those celebrating Easter and Easter.
After all, it’s been a while since there has been a long weekend with so few restrictions on COVID-19.
CBC News spoke with experts who shared tips on how to help reduce the risk of infection during your weekend gatherings.
Do we need to get together at all?
Indoor gatherings are allowed. In the end, the province lifted most of the pandemic restrictions. But big gatherings this weekend are at risk.
“People need to consider minimizing unnecessary gatherings,” said Dr. Donald Vinn, an infectious disease specialist and medical microbiologist at McGill University Health Center.
“But that’s not realistic and maybe even extreme.”
Quebec has just surpassed 2,000 COVID-19 hospitalizations this week for the first time since mid-February as the province recovered from a fifth wave powered by Omicron that pushed the health care system to its limits.
And although PCR tests are not as accessible as ever, Quebec is still reporting more than 3,000 confirmed cases on both Wednesday and Thursday.
No one can stop you from going to this big dinner with 20 or 30 people, but experts say it’s important to be careful and considerate of others, especially those who are more vulnerable to the disease.
Dr Donald Vinn, an infectious disease specialist at McGill University Health Center, said rapid tests are a good tool to use if you have no symptoms and are trying to determine if you should go to a collection. (Submitted by Sandra Sciangula)
What if I have symptoms?
Experts agree that if you have any symptoms of COVID-19 – no matter how mild – you should cancel your plans and stay home.
“If you feel symptomatic, don’t push him,” said Dr. Matthew Auton, an infectious disease specialist at the Jewish General Hospital in Montreal.
“Don’t put people around you at risk of being discovered. Say “Thank you, I’m sorry, I’ll stay home” and maybe order DoorDash or Uber or something.
Auton says you should watch for symptoms such as fever, cough, runny nose, sore throat and body aches.
On Wednesday, Dr Luc Boalo, interim director of public health in Quebec, said the province was also facing an off-season wave of flu.
COVID-19 and influenza have several common symptoms. Even if you have any doubts about what you have, Boalo urged people to stay home so as not to infect others.
Can quick tests help?
Although rapid antigen tests are not as effective in detecting COVID-19 as PCR tests, they can be a useful tool.
“If you don’t have any symptoms, you should take a quick test a few hours before the event, paying particular attention to the application of the nose, as well as the inside of both cheeks or the back of the throat, on the sides,” Vin said.
WATCH Learn about the new rapid testing procedure:
The Ministry of Health explains the new procedure for rapid tests
Dr. Jean Longtin, a microbiologist with the Quebec Ministry of Health, outlines the new rapid test procedure for COVID-19, shown in a government video. 0:58
Rapid tests may also be useful for people who have recently tested positive for COVID-19 and no longer have symptoms.
In any case, if the test is positive, it is best to cancel these dinner plans.
Getting vaccinated with at least three doses and making sure everyone around you gets three doses of the vaccine this weekend will go a long way in limiting the spread of the virus if someone you come in contact with has COVID -19, Vin said.
People who have not yet received their third dose – which means 46% of Quebecers – are more exposed to the virus.
Despite the rain in the weather forecast, Quebec residents will be patient to gather this long weekend. (Graham Hughes / Canadian Press)
How to limit the chances of an epidemic?
Good news. It’s spring.
Although rain is forecast this weekend, it is still much more possible to gather with other people outdoors than it would be in mid-January.
“Ventilation is everyone’s best friend,” said Auton. “If the weather helps you and you can do some of your gatherings outside, that’s great, because outside people are naturally and relatively distant.” [and there’s] a lot of air circulation. “
If you need to stay inside, open some windows and you should also consider masking.
“Realistically, people are less likely to wear indoor collection masks,” said Prativa Baral, of Montreal, who is a doctoral student at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
Montrealist Prativa Baral, an epidemiologist and doctoral student at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, said the virus was so widespread in Quebec that its impact should not be underestimated. (Jerome James)
“But if there are people who are not vaccinated in your collection, if there are people who are at higher risk because they are immunocompromised or for various other reasons, then I would still suggest that wearing a mask will also reduce the risk. . “
Baral also encourages people to lie low for a few days after collection to see if they are developing symptoms. In this way, if they become infected with COVID-19, they avoid infecting others.
The 6th wave has begun. How important is this weekend?
Given how much the virus can circulate, Baral says this weekend is “critical” that could affect the shape of the province’s sixth wave over the next few weeks.
Although she points out that high levels of vaccination – especially among Quebecers aged 60 and over – should help limit the consequences, she said it was important that people did not underestimate the virus.
“Everyone around me is getting COVID right now in Montreal, people who haven’t had COVID in the last two years. So a lot of virus is circulating around us, “she said.
“Anything we can do to add these layers of protection will be useful.”
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