Rising COVID-19 sixth wave in Quebec raises fears procedures could be postponed

The increase in hospitalizations and the number of absentees among health-care personnel suggests new load shedding in the health-care network.

Interim director of public health Dr. Luc Boileau showed concern on Friday about the progression of the sixth wave in Quebec over the last few weeks, which he said should continue for at least two more weeks.

The number of people hospitalized, which had fallen below 1,000 in March, has risen to over 1,600, while the number of health professionals affected by COVID-19 now exceeds 13,000.

Even so, Boileau said there are no plans to bring back restrictive health measures, although the mask mandate in indoor public spaces, now extended to the end of April, could be extended beyond that date depending on the epidemiological situation.

He urged Quebecers, however, to exercise extreme caution, to isolate themselves if they have symptoms and to avoid crowded areas if they plan to see elderly family members at Easter.

He also reiterated the call to get a third or fourth dose of the vaccine, which is still the best protection against the more serious effects of the disease.

In addition, Quebec posted new instructions on how to perform a rapid home test, by collecting samples from the mouth and throat before swabbing the nasal passages.

Recent studies have shown that the Omicron BA.2 sub-variant affects the upper respiratory tract more and that swabbing the mouth and throat provides more accurate test results.

-- This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on April 8, 2022.