Even if Quebec does not rule out changes in the coming days, gatherings of up to 20 vaccinated people are for the moment still on the menu for the Holidays. In this context, experts want the government to place more emphasis on the importance of ventilation in its instructions to the population.
“We have to put the ventilation forward. And with the arrival of the more contagious Omicron variant, it is all the more important ”, pleads Dr.r Luc Bhérer, specialist in occupational medicine at the Public Health Department of the Capitale-Nationale and Nunavik.
“Yes, we are there. Talk about ventilation, ”adds Roxane Borgès Da Silva, professor at the School of Public Health at the University of Montreal.
On its website, the Quebec Ministry of Health and Social Services (MSSS) lists “basic health instructions to limit the spread of COVID-19”. It talks about the importance of washing your hands, covering your face, coughing into your elbow and keeping your distance. There is no mention of the importance of ventilation.
In his opinion of December 6 on Christmas gatherings, the national director of public health of Quebec, Dr Horacio Arruda, recalled the importance of vaccination, distancing and wearing a mask when in close contact with an elder. But ventilation was not discussed.
Yet public health authorities around the world have recognized for months that COVID-19 can be transmitted through aerosols. In April, the World Health Organization wrote that the virus is transmitted in particles of different sizes, ranging from relatively large droplets to the finest aerosols. The organization said the virus is transmitted mainly between people who are in close contact (one meter away or less), but pointed out that the virus can also spread in poorly ventilated or crowded indoor places. “Because the aerosols remain suspended in the air and travel further than a meter”, one can read on the site of the WHO.
Aerosols behave “like smoke” and therefore must be protected in public environments, argued the DD Anne Bhéreur, family doctor, during a virtual press briefing on the Protect our province of Quebec initiative.
Indoors, in a less well-ventilated space, it is not safe to take off your mask just because you are standing three feet away from another person.
The DD Anne Bhéreur, family doctor
At a press conference on Tuesday, the Minister of Health and Social Services, Christian Dubé, called on the population to remain vigilant. ” What do we have to do ? Hands should be washed regularly. We have to keep our distance. It’s difficult when it’s Christmas. You should cover your face as often as possible. We must think about ventilating the rooms of the house when you can do it ”, specified the Minister in particular.
Emergency physician Alain Vadeboncœur emphasizes that the theme of ventilation is occasionally discussed in government press briefings. “But we always talk about it with little attention. Yet this is a point that should be addressed more often. Especially if we’re talking about Christmas gatherings. All the experts agree that this is important, ”he said.
Campaigns elsewhere in the world
In France, the government released a video this fall in which it says: “Against transmission, let’s think about ventilation. “In the video from the French Ministry of Health and Public Health, we also hear the following slogan:” Inside, renewing the air is also a barrier gesture. “
In England, an advertising campaign aired in November by public health authorities asked people to open windows for ten minutes every hour when they are grouped indoors.
“I salute the governments of France and England for talking about ventilation. It is not a 100% reliable measurement on its own. But it adds an additional layer of protection, ”notes Mme Da Silva.
The Dr Bherer and the Dr Vadeboncœur confirm that ventilation alone does not prevent the spread of COVID-19. But “we still have to talk about it”, says the Dr To be happy.
The latter explains that in infection prevention, specialists use the “Swiss cheese model”, where each slice of cheese represents a measure to prevent disease. Each slice contains holes and on its own is not 100% effective in preventing disease. “But when you add the slices, you are less likely to end up with aligned holes”, summarizes the Dr To be happy. For him, ventilation is undoubtedly one of the tools to add to the arsenal of families who will meet at Christmas. The MSSS did not respond to questions from Press, Wednesday, about it.
With Florence Morin-Martel, Press