Quebec's sixth wave is still ramping up, says top doctor, but strict health measures are unlikely

People with COVID-19 symptoms should stick to ten days of COVID-19 precautions to protect their community from a "troubling" rise of cases in Quebec, according to interim public health director Dr. Luc Boileau.

The warning comes as Quebec wades through its sixth pandemic wave. Thousands of cases are being reported every day in the province, despite reduced testing, hospitalizations have risen and several thousand health-care workers are off the job because of the virus.

It's under that context that Boileau appeared Wednesday in a news conference to remind residents that infected people can be contagious for ten days, even if symptoms improve.

"The virus is still circulating," he said, asking those who think they might have COVID-19 to take extra precautions around seniors and vulnerable people, especially as Passover and Easter holidays approach. "Those 10 days are extremely important."

However, even as the top public health official in the province rang the alarm over rising cases and hospitalizations, Boileau maintained that the province is unlikely to bring back the sort of measures seen during the first Omicron wave, like a curfew.

"The comparison between last year and this year is very different," he said. "(We believe the wave) can be managed without those public health measures," he said, adding that many more people have gotten vaccinated in the last year.

Meanwhile, rising hospitalizations have already started to affect health-care services in the province, with some appointments being postponed as hospitals grapple with growing COVID-19 occupancies.

However, load-shedding (also known as "delestage" in French) is not being adopted as a general policy at the provincial level, Boileau clarified, rather on a case-by-case basis.

• Complete coverage at CTVNews.ca/coronavirus
• Coronavirus newsletter sign-up: Get The COVID-19 Brief sent to your inbox

FLU SEASON (STILL) UPON US

A delayed flu season is making for an added layer of uncertainty, health professionals said, because Omicron's symptoms often present like those of a common cold.

"If you have symptoms, no matter how mild they are, it could be a sore throat, don't visit your relative," said public health microbiologist Dr. Jean Longtin, who was also present at the news conference.

Instead, "stay home. Isolate."

Lots of people are expected to come down with colds and flu in the coming days as Quebec deals with a delayed flu season. It's unclear why this year's bug is going around now, rather than earlier in the year, but Longtin said it's not uncommon to see fluctuations in timing.

"A mentor used to tell me," said Longtin, "when you see one flu season, you just see one flu season," he added.

"This one is different."

FEDERAL GROUP 'STRONGLY' RECOMMENDS THIRD DOSE FOR SIXTH WAVE

With cases rising sharply, the National Advisory Committee on Immunization (NACI) is now strongly recommending that all adults aged 18 and older get their third shot.

Among Quebecers aged five and over, 54 per cent have received a third dose of vaccine so far.

NACI is also recommending the booster for teens aged 12 to 17 years old who are at high risk of severe consequences from COVID-19, including those who are immunocompromised, living with elderly people or are part of racialized or marginalized communities disproportionately affected by the virus.

Canada's Chief Public Health Officer, Dr. Theresa Tam, said the booster dose increases the effectiveness of the vaccine against severe disease to more than 90 per cent.

In addition, the Quebec immunization committee (CIQ) recommends that certain vulnerable groups receive a fourth booster dose three months or more after their last dose of a COVID-19 vaccine. 

-- with files from The Canadian Press