New variants are starting to impact the number of COVID-19 hospitalizations, notes the Direction générale de la santé publique du Québec, which is not, however, concerned about the situation for the moment.
“For the week ending July 5, we had 331 hospitalizations. The week before, it was 291. So it increased by about 14%,” said the national director of public health, Dr.r Luc Boileau, in an interview with Duty.
Those affected are mainly elderly people, he specifies, mentioning that nearly half of the 331 Quebecers hospitalized are 80 years old and older. “We have new variants, KP2 and KP3, which have gradually established themselves in Quebec and are taking up all the space,” explains Dr.r Boileau.
These new variants demonstrate immune escape, he continues. “This means that even if we already have acquired immunity, either through having had one or more infections or having been vaccinated, they find a way to infect us and make us sick. In some cases, they make us sick enough to lead to hospitalization.”
The number of hospitalizations could also continue to increase in the coming weeks, adds Dr.r Luc Boileau: “But we don’t expect it to be a wave that will overwhelm us,” he says.
Despite the expected increase in hospitalizations, the national director of public health says he is not worried about the epidemiological situation. “This is something we expect with new variants.”
“However, we are still concerned that people who can catch it can suffer from it like this,” he hastens to add.
New vaccine expected
In the spring, a vaccination campaign carried out in CHSLDs and seniors’ residences in Quebec saw a high participation rate, however, Dr.r Luc Boileau. “The vaccine that was administered is not, however, specific to the variants that are currently circulating. In the coming weeks, we expect to have news about when the new vaccine will be available. It is being generated by large pharmaceutical companies.”
“I can’t wait for the new vaccine to arrive, because if we have to do a vaccination campaign this fall, we’re going to try to do it with it. It’s going to be a lot more effective,” he emphasizes, while refraining from “making an announcement” on the subject for the moment.
In the meantime, the important thing is to take steps to limit the transmission of COVID-19, especially to avoid infecting the most vulnerable, he points out. “If we ourselves have symptoms and we don’t feel well, we shouldn’t deliberately go around older people who have illnesses. We have to try to protect them,” reminds Dr.r Boileau.