With emergencies overflowing as Christmas approaches, the government is calling on the population to get vaccinated and to prioritize “self-care” at home if possible.
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“We need the collaboration of the population to limit the pressure on emergencies,” argued the Minister of Health, Christian Dubé at a press briefing Tuesday afternoon.
“We ask you for a little self-care […] You do not need to come to our emergency room for treatment, there are no antibiotics for viruses [respiratoires]», added the Dr Gilbert Boucher, president of the Association of Emergency Medicine Specialists of Quebec and emergency physician.
Fluids and rest
He recommends that those sick with COVID-19 or the flu take Tylenol, drink plenty of fluids and get rest.
Cases of respiratory infections, namely respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), influenza (seasonal flu) and COVID-19, are currently on the rise, which is increasing emergency room visits. On the other hand, the shortage of staff in the network means that fewer beds are available on the floors for patients.
If the national director of public health, Dr Luc Boileau said he was not surprised by the current crisis, he reiterated that vaccination remains the best way to protect yourself.
Up to a million Quebecers have contracted a respiratory infection in the last two weeks. “And it will continue to increase,” said the Dr Boileau.
Crisis unit
The crisis unit formed last year to manage a similar situation has also risen from its ashes, faced with the high occupancy rates of stretchers in several regions of Quebec.
Each hospital will therefore have a team dedicated to coordinating the discharge of patients and establishing overcapacity plans, in particular.
At the end of the week, doctors denounced the government’s “inertia” in an open letter, judging that the situation in emergency rooms had become out of control.
At a press briefing, Minister Dubé announced that 28 winter clinics were resuming service, with appointments available by calling 8-1-1. It is also rolling out a “self-care” guide for patients on the web.
“We have not reached load shedding,” however assured Minister Dubé. However, he admitted that staff shortages were at the heart of the problem currently.
For the DD Judy Morris, president of the Association of Emergency Physicians of Quebec (AMUQ), difficult choices need to be made in hospitals for the coming weeks.
According to her, the floors will no longer be able to refuse patients to be hospitalized because they lack beds, just as the emergency rooms do not refuse ambulances which return with sick people.
Last week, The newspaper revealed that two patients died in two days in the emergency room of the Châteauguay hospital, while they were waiting to be treated by a doctor, in a context of record traffic and endless waiting.