If only half of Quebecers plan to receive a new dose of vaccine against COVID-19 this fall, Public Health warns that the next vaccination campaign, which will begin on August 15, will be important.
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For the first time in seven weeks, there is a decrease in the transmission of COVID in all age groups, underlined the Dr Luc Boileau, National Director of Public Health, at a press briefing on Thursday.
Quebec reported Thursday 1389 new cases. A total of 2,136 people were also hospitalized with COVID. The majority of them nevertheless presented themselves to the hospital for another health problem.
“The portrait of the current situation is really encouraging for the future,” he said. Almost everywhere in the world, it’s the same situation, there is a drop.
For the Dr Boileau, however, this does not mean that the pandemic is over. As it is very likely that the return to school will have the effect of reigniting infections, Public Health considers that the next vaccination campaign will be important, in particular for those most at risk of developing complications after contracting the virus.
However, Quebec does not plan to reinstate mandatory measures. “We would need epidemiological grounds to do so,” remarked Dr.r Boileau. For the time being, Public Health will simply continue to make recommendations.
Vaccination campaign
The new vaccination campaign will therefore begin on August 15. Public Health is primarily targeting living environments for elderly or vulnerable people, such as CHSLDs and residences for the elderly.
“As has been the case for the past few times, these people will not be required to make an appointment, because the teams will travel to these living environments to offer the vaccination,” said Dr.r Luc Boileau.
Subsequently, the vaccination campaign will be gradually extended to the rest of the population. All information to this effect will be communicated by mid-August.
Survey
A Léger poll revealed that nearly 40% of Quebecers do not intend to get a new dose of vaccine against COVID-19 in the coming months.
“These people should listen to me more often,” joked the national director of public health, before emphasizing that “immunity acquired by infection or vaccination decreases over time.”
The Dr Boileau also invites the population to stop counting the doses. “We are now talking about booster doses (…), he explained. If it’s been 5 months or more since you last had your dose, now is the time to get it.”
Moreover, the considerable proportion of Quebecers who do not plan to go get vaccinated this fall does not worry the director of public health, as long as it represents people at less risk.
Immunization of children
The Dr Luc Boileau also gave an update on the vaccination of children. If few of them have received the vaccine in recent weeks, it is partly due to the summer holidays, but also because a “significant amount of children” have been infected with the virus recently.
The Director of Public Health recalled that the decision to have children vaccinated is up to the parents, while emphasizing that “vaccination has significant benefits”.
In addition, he affirmed that Public Health has not set a goal for the vaccination of children. “What matters to us are vulnerable children,” he said.
Monkey pox
As the number of cases of monkeypox continues to increase across the province, Public Health has made the decision to expand access to the vaccine against this virus to “all men in Quebec, if they have or plan to have sex with other men.
As of August 2, 373 cases of monkeypox had been reported in Quebec.
“Our concern is to see an expansion [de la variole simienne] to other regions, ”said Luc Boileau, recalling that Public Health is also making prevention and screening efforts.