Gone are the SAQ and SQDC for the unvaccinated. Closed, access to body care services for those who have not rolled up their sleeve. It’s not too soon !
While our hospitals are overflowing like never before and the entire population has trouble digesting the imposition of a new curfew, it is time for Quebec to tighten the screws on those who refuse to make their war effort.
We are delighted to know that this is only a “first step”, as the Minister of Health Christian Dubé underlined at a press conference.
Indeed, we must go further. By extending the scope of the vaccination passport. And by daring to talk about compulsory vaccination. Calmly.
The idea is not especially to embark on a witch hunt which would risk to hold up even more all those who are refractory to vaccines. No, the objective is rather to reduce the risks of contamination and to ensure a form of fairness.
Quebeckers benefit from a generous social safety net that allows them to obtain free health care financed by all taxpayers, commensurate with everyone’s means. Very good.
This is the contract on which our social democracy is based. But currently, the 10% of unvaccinated do not live up to their end of the bargain. By refusing the vaccine, they are 7.7 times more likely to be hospitalized for COVID-19, putting the health care system at risk.
And the forecasts unveiled Thursday give shivers down the spine. Before long, people infected with COVID-19 could occupy 3,000 beds, including 400 in intensive care. A meteoric progression.
Even a total load-shedding involving the postponement of operations or treatments for very serious illnesses will not be enough to overcome the tide.
The situation is serious.
What are we waiting for to expand the vaccination passport even further?
Blocking access to the SAQ and SQDC – from January 18, which is quite late – won’t make such a big difference.
By imposing the passport on other non-essential businesses, we would have more impact. Still, it’s surreal to know that unvaccinated people can wander around malls incognito, while healthcare workers are on their knees.
On Thursday, the Canadian Federation of Independent Businesses and the Quebec Retail Council (CQCD) argued against such a measure. Yes, that would be a burden on traders who have had it hard since the start of the pandemic. They have our deepest sympathy. But if restaurant owners have been able to adapt to the passport, why not other businesses?
Several European countries go even further. Austria, Greece and Italy have outright announced compulsory vaccination. Germany is also thinking about it.
Should we take this extra step?
In theory, our Health Act would allow it. But practical, we will not sting people by force. We do not want to refuse to treat the unvaccinated either. It would not be worthy of the democracy in which we live.
Passing the bill on the unvaccinated is also not a realistic option, as the costs would be prohibitive for most wallets.
In Canada, a hospital stay linked to COVID-19 costs an average of $ 23,000. That’s four times more expensive than a flu and three times more expensive than a heart attack, estimates the Canadian Institute for Health Information.
Note that we could at least issue a symbolic bill to the non-vaccinated at the end of their stay … if the computer systems of the health network were not also Kafkaesque.
But that doesn’t mean you can’t dip into the unvaccinated portfolio at all. Italy, for example, will soon impose penalties of up to $ 2,150 on unvaccinated people aged 50 and over who fail to meet very strict conditions.
In Quebec, former Minister Daniel Paillé and former Assistant Deputy Minister Claude Garcia have just launched various suggestions in the public arena.
Depriving infected unvaccinated people of their employer’s disability insurance or government benefits may seem logical and fair. But that risks pushing sick people to stay at work, which would be counterproductive.
However, we could create a health contribution of a reasonable amount that would be added to the income tax return for non-vaccinated people admitted to hospital with COVID-19.
Some protest, saying, “Ah, where is it going to end? Are we soon going to dip into the pockets of all those whose behavior leads to a higher risk of hospitalization? ”
In fact, this is already the case. For example, smokers and alcohol lovers pay heavy taxes while the most at risk motorcyclists pay almost 10 times more to the SAAQ.
That the unvaccinated pay a higher price would therefore not be an exception. But we must be careful not to accentuate the inequities that we already see with vaccination.
Care is required to ensure social equity without creating more divisions.