As the sixth wave swells in Quebec, citizens now bear the responsibility of protecting themselves. The duty interviewed three experts to prepare its readers to “live with the virus”.
Are we well protected with three doses of vaccine?
With three injections in the arm, the risk of becoming seriously ill is reduced by around 80%, according to several studies. This percentage must be nuanced according to our age, explains the Dr Gaston De Serres, physician-epidemiologist at the National Institute of Public Health of Quebec. “With three doses, if I am 20 years old, the risks of having complications are really very low. At age 70, the risk, even if one is vaccinated, becomes much lower, but remains much higher than if one were 20 years old. »
The Dr Karl Weiss, an infectious disease specialist at the Jewish General Hospital in Montreal, notes that the arrival of drugs that relieve the most serious cases are now compensating for the flaws in vaccines. “It was not available in the previous waves,” he notes.
The vaccine’s ability to prevent “long COVID” remains uncertain, says Dr.r André Veillette, immunologist at the Montreal Clinical Research Institute. “It’s not very clear, but it would be around 50%. »
How can we manage our isolation well?
We must consider ourselves contagious “as long as we have a fever and our symptoms are not in the process of resolution”, specifies the Dr Gaston DeSerres.
Then, “after five days, most people are not infectious,” says Dr.r Weiss, who even advises infected people to remain cautious for ten days.
A negative test obtained after the symptoms disappear means that one is cured. “We can be reasonably confident,” adds the Dr From Serres.
The Dr However, Veillette recommends extra caution and isolation for those who wish to meet elderly or vulnerable people. “The parties, we should take it easy for a few weeks. We go back to Zoom, ”he continues. If someone has the “absolute” need to be present in person, they must respect the protective measures (wearing a mask, washing hands, distancing), which still make it possible to prevent the transmission of the virus.
Should we continue to wear a mask even when it is no longer mandatory?
“We must not believe that if something is no longer required by the government, it is no longer necessary to do it”, warns us the Dr De Serres, especially since wearing the mask “is not so painful” compared to the benefits it brings in terms of public health.
Wearing a mask mainly protects the people you meet, but can also prevent contagion for yourself. “People who have risk factors, optionally, these people should continue to wear a mask in public spaces”, recommends the Dr Weiss, who notes that several environments will continue to require it, in particular hospitals.
What to do if you have symptoms, but are declared negative?
“It happened to me last week, says the Dr watch. I had stuffy nose, sore throat, but tested negative twice. […] What I did, I decided to act like I had COVID-19: I avoided people for 10 days. »
This precautionary rule applies to any flu-like symptom, he adds. “It could be another respiratory infection, but you don’t want to give it to others either. It’s a behavior label. »
Another reason is that rapid tests declare “false negatives” in 15% to 25% of symptomatic cases. “The way you are going to take the sample will be decisive for the validity of the test”, underlines the Dr Weiss.
These tests were also greeted with “great reluctance” by the medical community, notes Dr.r De Serres, because of the false sense of security that comes with a negative outcome.
Are we doomed to contract COVID-19?
It’s “inevitable”, according to the Dr André Veillette, “especially with the new variants”. However, “a lot of people will catch it without realizing it.”
Everyone will, one day or another, “meet the virus”, nuances the Dr De Serres, because many people have enough immunity to never get sick.
It is also very likely that several people will catch it several times. Each time, the severity of the symptoms may, fortunately, decrease, like the flu, according to Dr From Serres. “We encounter the flu virus 2, 4, 5, 10 times in our lifetime. The first time, when we were children, we pulled out a little bit. “As contacts, our body has learned to live with the virus, and therefore, “the majority of adults who encounter the virus in a flu season have no symptoms thanks to acquired immunity. As for COVID-19, for many people, this is their first exposure to this virus.”
This fatality does not mean that one should expose oneself to the virus on purpose, assure the three experts. “During a big wave that will put the health care system under strain, now is not the time to get sick,” said Dr.r From Serres.