(Quebec) While Europe is hit by a fifth wave of the pandemic, which particularly affects the unvaccinated, the Minister of Health, Christian Dubé, is worried about the regions of Quebec where vaccination coverage is lower.
“What we see in Europe and Germany is a very good example, is that it is pockets of unvaccinated that create the problems. […] If I have a concern in Quebec, it is my places, my non-vaccinated regions. We can think of Chaudière-Appalaches, in Granit (in Estrie), ”explained Minister Dubé, when asked about the possibility of a fifth wave of the pandemic in Quebec.
He made it clear that vaccination coverage in Quebec is “high”, but that like in Europe, some sub-regions are less well protected. “That’s why if I draw a parallel with Quebec, we should focus on a few regions,” he added in the press.
The regions most affected by the pandemic currently have the lowest vaccination rates. Nunavik, where there are currently 241 new cases per 100,000 inhabitants, has the lowest vaccination rate, at 50.9%.
The second most affected region, with 16 new cases per 100,000, Estrie has 74.7% of its population adequately vaccinated. This is below the Quebec average is 77.5%. The same goes for Chaudière-Appalaches, where 75.9% of citizens have their two doses. Further east, the Côte-Nord, where the vaccination rate is 74.7%, has recently experienced a sharp increase in cases.
For the time being, Minister Dubé rules out the imposition of special measures for regions where vaccination coverage is lower or other constraints specifically targeting unvaccinated people, as is the case in Austria, for example. “We are not here,” said the minister. Mr. Dubé has argued that he wants to leverage communication and awareness to convince the unvaccinated to roll up their sleeves.
“My concern, even before I think of the fifth wave, is the unvaccinated,” he added. While a booster dose will be administered to people 70 years of age and over, the vaccination of children aged 5 to 11 is imminent and the vaccination against influenza is also beginning, the Minister invited the unvaccinated ” who change their mind ”to come to the clinic as quickly as possible.
“Take advantage of it while we have vaccine availability because […] I can tell you that in December, I don’t have the same pool of vaccinators that I had at the height of the crisis this summer. I would not want people who are not vaccinated to say to themselves in a few weeks: “my God, I can not go to be vaccinated any more because the appointments are full” “, he illustrated.
Quebec authorities must administer a booster dose to 1.3 million eligible seniors. The administration of the third dose is also continuing in residential settings for the elderly (220,000 people). Quebec is also preparing to administer a first dose to children aged 5 to 11 before Christmas. This group is estimated at 650,000 children.
With Pierre-André Normandin