Quebec hospital emergencies seem less busy this Christmas week, but the situation is still problematic given the large number of workers who have contracted COVID-19.
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“It’s very complicated in Quebec emergencies. It’s not because we don’t have a lot of people going to the emergency room that it’s complicated, it’s because we have a lot of people who are infected with COVID in the nursing and medical staff. », Explains Dr. Simon-Pierre Landry, emergency doctor at Sainte-Agathe Hospital.
He gives as an example his department, where nearly 20% of doctors are in isolation.
“We just started, and it’s going to increase. Every day there is going to be an increase in doctors and nurses who are taken off work, ”he continues.
He said the isolation period is currently 10 days, but several places around the world have decided to reduce this period to allow healthcare workers to return to work more quickly.
“I have the impression that in Quebec we will be in the same situation since we have a staff shortage, which is worse than in the United States. There are going to be decisions that will be taken over the next few days, ”said the doctor.
He believes that the best way to combat this problem is to speed up the distribution of the third dose of the COVID vaccine to healthcare workers.