The vaccination campaign against COVID-19 and influenza should begin on October 10. This was indicated by the Minister of Health, Christian Dubé, during the inauguration of the new facilities at the Montreal Heart Institute on Monday morning.
“It is certain that there will be a significant vaccination period starting October 10,” he said at a press conference. These are the dates we are looking at to start with our most vulnerable customers. »
Christian Dubé added that the national director of public health of Quebec, Dr Luc Boileau will provide an update on this subject this week or next week. He is currently working to “find the best window” for vaccination, he said.
“We know that the worst of the pandemic arrives in the months of December and January,” said the minister at a press briefing. We had to wait as long as possible for the maximum effect of another vaccination to be able to particularly protect our most vulnerable people in this period between December and February-March. »
Health Canada authorized the use of a Moderna vaccine in mid-September which targets a sub-variant of Omicron, XBB.1.5. Pfizer and BioNTech have also submitted an application to the FDA and Health Canada for their monovalent vaccine against XBB.1.5 for the fall-winter 2023-2024 season.
The Quebec Immunization Committee recommends obtaining an additional dose of COVID-19 vaccine for vulnerable or at-risk people, such as people aged 60 and over and those living in CHSLDs or seniors’ residences. He also advises health care workers to get vaccinated to avoid being a vector of the disease in their health care setting.
Quebec plans to set up around a hundred service points in October where citizens can be vaccinated against COVID-19 and influenza. Blood samples will also be taken there to relieve congestion in hospitals. Minister Christian Dubé invites interested professionals to register on the Jecontribue site in order to work in these facilities during the vaccination campaign.
According to the latest data available from the Ministry of Health and Social Services, 1,137 Quebecers with COVID-19 are hospitalized in Quebec, including 21 in intensive care. “The good news is that if you look at our COVID dashboards, we see an increase in our hospitals, but we do not see an increase in our intensive care,” underlined Minister Dubé.