Doctors say Quebec lacks tools to manage risk due to the increase in COVID-19

Emergency rooms in various hospitalsaccommodate ExceedingAnd the public is forced to manage their own risks, and the rising trend of the COVID-19 index again raises concerns in Quebec

At a news conference last week, Health Director Dr. Luc Boileauurged Quebec to remain vigilant. He cited predictions suggesting that hospitalizations could reach about 1,600 in the coming weeks and that the severity of COVID-19 cases in vaccinated young people would be reduced.

The number of people visiting the hospital has reached pre-pandemic levels, and staff continue to be in short supply throughout the network as a result of both vacations and COVID-19 (6,347 healthcare workers have the virus). I am absent because of, the government said on Monday).

In an interview on Monday, Dr. Judy Morris, president of the Quebec Emergency Medical Association, said that admission to COVID-19 has been difficult on the network for the past two years, but many. Occurred when there was a significant closure period throughout the state.

"So what we're worried about right now is that everything else is completely open — and that's okay — but we've seen visits back to the pre-COVID era. , Now fear is adding (COVID-19) hospitalization, "she said. "When it goes up, it will put an extra burden on the medical network, especially considering that there are so many beds that are closed during the summer."

This is the last day data is available. On Friday, Quebec announced that 1,294 people were hospitalized in COVID-19 in Quebec, including 42 in the intensive care unit. Hospitalization has been increasing since mid-June. At the same time, according to Index Santé, Quebec's emergency room is currently operating on average114% capacity

Morris said surgery and others. This summer's wave of COVID-19 could have an even greater impact on the medical network if the emergency room was canceled before it exceeded capacity because of the need for treatment. In the coming days, she said, it will be important to "adjust accordingly" according to the data.

"I would like to follow the advice of non-political infectious disease and public health professionals and get real advice," she said. "What's best for the population today, given the growing illness?"

Dr. Matthew Outon, an infectious disease specialist at the Jewish General Hospital, said in a pandemic. Said he could manage his risk. This is thegovernment-adopted approach — requires timely and accurate information about the presence of the virus in the community.

"And that's the conflict I'm seeing right now," he said. "We don't have enough data to make informed decisions. There are many ways in which data is limited, but it's not the real-time nature of people getting more accurate and updated views."

Delayed indicators such as hospitalization are useless, and the number of cases when testing is limited to the priority community is also useless, Oughton explained.

A few months after the pilot project was completed,Quebec finally resumed wastewater testing. However, thedataavailable online is about two weeks old.

"If something can spread, spread, and become infected within a few days, 12 days is too long for people today to make informed decisions." Said Oughton. "That is," personal responsibility "is one thing, but I think it has an obligation to provide information that allows people to make informed decisions.

The Ministry of Health did not respond to the Montreal Gazette when asked if there were plans to update the way wastewater data was shared.

Meanwhile, Morris and Aughton advise Quebécois to get up-to-date information on vaccination to protect themselves.

Oughton said he hopes to improve the system for disease prevention and mitigation, not just in Quebec. This should include ventilation and air filtration in places such as schools.

He said we are currently underestimating the virus and likened it to a house fire.

"Unfortunately, house fires are a reality," he said. "But just because they're around doesn't mean you don't do anything about them. You still have a specific code for the building to reduce the chances of a fire and reduce the harm that a fire begins. We have established a policy to confirm that it is being built in. There is still a law on a kind of active monitoring using smoke detectors etc. "

"The cause of the fire cannot always be ruled out, but it can be done to keep as many people safe as possible and reduce the damage in the event of a fire. It is what is happening and SARS-CoV-2. I think you should consider managing them in a similar way. "

Using the files from Jesse Feith and René Bruemmer in the Montreal Gazette. 

kthomas@postmedia.com

twitter.com/katelynthomas

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