Self-tests under the tree, please!

The Legault government and Public Health had to juggle a large number of unknown variables to concoct the Christmas plan announced on Tuesday.

We think in particular of the spectrum of the Omicron variant, of which we do not yet know the contagiousness, nor the virulence, nor the ability to thwart our vaccines.

But amid the particularly sharp uncertainty that reigns today, there was still something eminently predictable: this year, like every year, Christmas will arrive on December 25. On this, we cannot plead surprise.

This is why it is astounding, ten days before the Christmas vacation, to hear the incredible vagueness that still surrounds the distribution of rapid tests for the holidays. Will these tests be distributed directly to the population? Will they be available in pharmacies? Will only parents be able to use them? Or everyone?

Those who expected clear answers were disappointed.

“There is a lot of” if “in what I told you,” ended up admitting at a press conference the one who coordinates the deployment of these tests, Daniel Paré, affirming in the same breath that “there are still children to attach to make it available to the population ”.

Verification made with the Dubé cabinet, it seems that the 10 million self-tests promised by Quebec have not yet been delivered by the federal government. Those that had already been sent through Ottawa would all have been deployed in schools and businesses.

But whether it is the fault of the provincial or the federal government does not change anything for Quebeckers who still hope to be able to count on this tool to reduce the risk of infecting Grandma during Christmas Eve.

We want to say to politicians: swarm! The issue of rapid testing has dragged on for far too long. The first questions on this subject were raised in the media and in the National Assembly in September … 2020.

A large number of Europeans have used them routinely for a long time. It is free for residents of New Brunswick and Saskatchewan.

Christmas is the ideal context to use the self-tests. We know that the holiday season is a critical period for the transmission of the virus (remember the curfew imposed on January 9?).

Horacio Arruda also admitted on Tuesday that he was taking a “calculated risk” by authorizing gatherings of 20 people during the holidays when little is known about the Omicron variant and a majority of European countries are facing an increase hospitalizations.

Self-tests would not magically remove this risk. But they can help manage it.

They are above all a way of empowering the population. The government was clear on Tuesday: there will be no question of playing police during the holidays. No one will go to your house to count the guests around the turkey and check their vaccination passport.

It’s better this way. When the hospital network is not directly threatened, it is desirable that coercion gives way to accountability. But this transfer of responsibilities must be done by giving all the necessary tools and education to citizens.

However, two weeks before Christmas, the majority of Quebecers still do not know about anything about rapid tests. It will be necessary to explain to them the use of these tools and their limits. Tell them, too, that it is essential to confirm any positive result with a PCR test – first to ensure the diagnosis, then so that the government can continue to collect data and monitor the epidemic.

Quebecers have shown that they are using the tools available to them to reduce the risks of COVID-19. They enthusiastically accepted the vaccine. They wear the mask, have their children vaccinated, use the vaccination passport.

For rapid testing, the wishlist has long been routed. Santa has just over two weeks left to load his sleigh and distribute them.