A group of nine health professionals is preparing to leave Quebec for Peru at the beginning of March, in order to vaccinate vulnerable populations in the middle of the Amazon jungle. The organization Nurses Without Borders (ISF) will oversee their first trip, which could well be followed by a second mission next fall.
“If we want to beat COVID-19, we shouldn’t just vaccinate Canadians in three doses. All countries must also have access to vaccines and vaccinators. This is where our project makes a difference, ”says speech therapist Diane Lessard, part of the group, who will be accompanied by four support agents in the field.
It was the former nurse Julie Picard, who came out of retirement last April to manage the vaccination clinic in Joliette, who had the idea for this trip. With others, a few weeks ago she founded the Coopération internationale Québec-Pérou collective, which solicits donations from the public and businesses for the trip. This will cost each participant up to $ 5,000, who will carry as much medical equipment as possible in a second suitcase.
For retired teacher and nurse Dominique Desfossés, who will also be part of the mission, the project is a real “crush”.
Right here [au Canada], everyone can have the vaccine, but we must collectively understand that elsewhere, they do not even have the opportunity to have the first dose.
Dominique Desfossés, teacher and retired nurse who will go to vaccinate in Peru
“Being someone who loves to travel, I tell myself that if I go elsewhere, I risk bringing the virus back. It’s a spinning wheel. You have to go elsewhere to hope to put an end to it, ”she insists.
If all goes well, the “group of 13” does not rule out returning to Peru next fall to give the second dose to the populations. “We will already be established, and it will be much easier to rebuild the bond of trust”, slips Mme Desfossés on this.
By boat or by plane
It is in the department of Loreto, in northeastern Peru, that professionals will visit. Relatively isolated, the area is located in the middle of the Amazon rainforest. Loreto is also the largest city on the planet which is not accessible by road.
“You can only get there by boat or plane,” says France Duplessis, also a former nurse who will be on the trip. “In times of pandemic, when we think too much about our navel, it tires me a bit as a citizen of the world. We should take a look at what is happening in the world, especially since the people who are going to travel will benefit from these populations. They should be concerned about it, because these populations will protect us as tourists, and vice versa, ”she adds.
It’s a lot of volunteering, what we do. We do it because we find that access to the vaccine is unfair throughout the world. We don’t put anything in our pockets. The money we collect is mainly to reduce our expenses.
France Duplessis, retired nurse
Julie Picard’s team recalls that Peru is one of the countries hardest hit by COVID-19. This South American state indeed holds “the sad world record for the number of related deaths per capita”. With around 33 million people, Peru has recorded more than 200,000 virus-related deaths to date.
Change approach
The nurses’ message echoes what several experts said in early December, in Press. By recalling that the “booster dose” will be crucial in the fight against the Omicron variant, the specialists also pleaded for a “considered” and “balanced” approach, which would take into account inequalities.
” [Gagner] time is good, but at some point, we will have to think about what is happening outside our home, and remember that Omicron comes from countries with little vaccines. This is only one example among many others of what awaits us if we do not change our approach ”, argued in particular the virologist and professor in the department of biological sciences at UQAM Benoit Barbeau.
In Quebec, the government announced on Tuesday that it was expanding the administration of a booster dose of COVID-19 vaccine to healthcare workers, people with chronic illnesses, pregnant women and residents of isolated areas. , like the aboriginal communities and Nunavik. These groups can now make an appointment on the Clic Santé platform if a period of six months since the administration of the second dose is respected. The government also recommends that the 60 to 69 age group take a booster dose. They can make an appointment from January.
123: Peru recorded more than 100 deaths on Friday, the first in four months.
Source: Peruvian Ministry of Health / Agence France-Presse
6111: Death rate per million inhabitants linked to the pandemic, the highest in the world
Source: AFP report based on official figures