The federal government does not want, and cannot, end all government restrictions related to COVID-19, as demanded by the “freedom convoy” to end their occupation of the Canadian capital, explained the public health authorities.
“We know what to do with all public health measures, with individual protective measures, it’s well proven,” the deputy chief administrator at the Public Health Agency of Canada explained on Friday. , the Dr Howard Njoo.
According to him, it is a very bad idea to end all sanitary measures at once, since it is a delicate “balance” to respect between the desire to return to normality and the restrictions still necessary.
“Of course everyone is fed up, me too, with what is happening with COVID-19 and everyone wants relaxation of public health measures, but if we relax public health measures too quickly, there is always a risk of subsequently seeing an upsurge in the serious consequences of hospitalizations and deaths. »
Opposition to confinements would also be incompatible with opposition to the vaccine, in the opinion of the Minister of Health Jean-Yves Duclos. “The only way to avoid confinement, to ensure that we return to normal life, is to be for vaccination,” he said at a press conference. He added that more than 400,000 deaths would have been deplored in Canada before the fall without the vaccine and the sanitary measures.
“What we see as containment measures, the curfew in Quebec, or the closures, that would have been small beer compared to what we would have needed to do in the absence of this chance that we we had to be able to vaccinate so many Canadians. »
End of all measurements
The organizers of the convoy of truckers that has been blocking several arteries in downtown Ottawa since Friday have nevertheless demanded the end of all the obligations imposed on them under the health crisis of COVID-19, such as compulsory vaccination. The Liberal government has indicated no intention of negotiating with them, but has dismissed the idea of sending in the army to dislodge them.
The demands of angry truckers were echoed again in the House of Commons on Friday during the very last question period of the week.
Quebec Conservative MP Luc Berthold said it “is time to end the restrictions” that are driving the protest. He also said in the same sentence that it was time to end the protest itself.
His colleague, Pierre Paul-Hus, used another language to speak of the demonstrators who are camping in front of his workplace. “I demand that the streets be cleared and that this occupation controlled by radicals and anarchist groups be stopped,” he said. on Twitter.
On Monday, Conservative MP Candice Bergen, who became the party’s interim leader during the week, instead called the participants of the “freedom convoy” “passionate, patriotic and peaceful Canadians”, despite the well-documented presence of groups unusual or extremist claims. Distrust of vaccination is omnipresent in the messages posted by the participants in the convoy.
Vaccination after COVID
Scientists from the National Advisory Committee on Immunization (NACI), however, reiterated on Friday the importance of vaccination against COVID-19 and the booster dose, even after infection with the coronavirus. NACI recommends a booster shot three months after the first symptoms appear, provided that at least six months have passed since the last dose was taken. For people who have not been vaccinated, it is recommended to receive a first vaccination two months after infection.
“Although infection alone may provide some protection, vaccination after infection enhances the immune response and provides more robust and long-lasting protection against COVID-19,” reads the NACI report. .
According to Federal Public Health, it is still too early to know if it will ask the population to receive more booster doses, and if so, how often and for how long.
“We don’t know, it’s something to follow. We continue to monitor the situation in other countries. We know that vaccines are safe and effective, but we know that there is a decrease in protection [avec le temps] “said the D.r Njoo.
He emphasizes that an end to the pandemic also requires vaccination from a global point of view. Other variants of the virus could, for example, emerge in the least vaccinated countries. Approximately 40% of Canadians have received their booster dose to date.