More than two years after the start of the pandemic, the CISSS des Îles-de-la-Madeleine reports the first death linked to COVID-19.
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The death occurred in hospital over the weekend.
“Out of respect for the family and for the sake of confidentiality, we cannot say more,” says Judith Arseneault, interim director of the Physical Health Program at the Integrated Center for Health and Social Services of the Archipelago.
The establishment also has four hospitalizations of people with COVID-19, a situation qualified as critical given its limited number of beds dedicated to the coronavirus. “We have three COVID-identified beds out of the 23 beds in our multi-client unit, specifies Ms. Arseneault. It is a quota established in proportion to the population, but it can change over time, depending on the situation.
Until the arrival of Omicron’s BA.2 sub-variant, the archipelago was generally spared during the various waves of COVID-19. “The population of the Islands is very well vaccinated, explains Dr. Yv Bonnier-Viger, regional director of public health. So, as long as we didn’t have a very contagious variant, it didn’t spread too much. But when BA.2 arrived, it found fertile ground because few people had got the disease with Omicron and the vaccine did not protect against transmission.”
The very strong community transmission of the sub-variant has led to outbreaks in 10 living environments attached to the territory’s health network, including the CHSLD, intermediate resources and residences for the elderly. “It took us five waves to get one and it’s very big,” says Judith Arseneault.
In addition, the CISSS des Îles must deal with the absence of 28 employees due to COVID. “Yesterday [lundi], we had 32 employees retired, says Ms. Arseneault. So we seem to have reached – I wouldn’t say an improvement – but a certain plateau in relation to that. At least, we hope so.”
At the level of health services, however, we are not talking about load shedding, as was the case elsewhere on the continent, continues the manager. “We are rather in a reorganization and a ‘reprioritization’ of care and continuous services. And it is in all sectors: front-line services, home support, at the level of care units.
“Rare phenomena” ensue, to which the employees of the CISSS des Îles were not accustomed, affirms Judith Arseneault. “On a daily basis, employees who come home at 8 a.m. are not sure of returning home after their shift,” she says. The use of overtime, compulsory overtime, we are a lot in there, there. And it is sure that it affects the morale of the troops.