As COVID-19 subvariants spread like wildfire, The duty consulted three experts to obtain their recommendations on the measures that the State and citizens could take to limit the magnitude of this seventh wave.
From the outset, the professor of public health at the University of Montreal Lara Gautier affirms that the wearing of the mask should be “imposed” during the festivals, even outside, as well as in public transport. She also insists that “the surgical mask is really not enough” to protect against the highly contagious Omicron subvariants. “You should definitely wear N95s,” she says.
The national director of public health, Luc Boileau, for his part indicated Thursday that he “encourages people to wear the mask” in public transport, “especially people who are more vulnerable” to the severe form of COVID. -19.
As for the first booster dose of the vaccine against the virus, “we do not have exceptional coverage” in the province, underlines microbiologist-infectiologist Caroline Quach-Thanh. She thus urges people “most at risk” to obtain this additional protection, which is moreover accessible to all, she recalls. The elderly or those who have “a less efficient immune system” can also obtain a prescription for the drug Paxlovid from their pharmacist, even if they are vaccinated against COVID-19, for his part underlined Thursday the Dr Luc Boileau, according to whom Quebec has the “most efficient system in the world” for access to this drug.
Even if you have no symptoms after five days, the risk of infecting other people remains very high for ten days, said Boileau. This is why it is recommended that people self-isolate at home for the first five days after symptoms appear. Infected people can resume their essential activities after the first five days by wearing a mask, but they should not go to restaurants or attend festivals or any other crowded event, the national director reminded. of public health. “The important thing is that when you think you’ve been potentially exposed, you don’t go out and see other people on purpose. We limit our outings in the following days and we make sure in particular to protect vulnerable people, ”sums up Caroline Quach-Thanh.
People who are in contact with people at risk can also use rapid tests to make sure they are not infected, even if they do not show any symptoms of COVID-19. “You can be contagious before you have symptoms,” says physics professor at the University of Montreal Normand Mousseau. In these particular cases, the rapid tests can “have an impact” for people whose family members or friends are in a high-risk category, he underlines in an interview.