A variant of COVID-19 has made its way into the CHSLD Hôpital général de Québec, infecting around 20 people and causing two deaths so far, even though a vaccination operation has already taken place.
The outbreak began on March 11 and has spread to at least three units on the third floor of the facility.
Photo Didier Debusschere
The General Hospital of Quebec, Sunday, where an outbreak of COVID-19 is raging among users and staff.
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Of the 20 people infected, 15 are residents, and 10 of them have been transferred to a convalescent center.
The CIUSSS de la Capitale-Nationale has requested an exemption from the Ministry of Health to interrupt visits by family caregivers until March 27 to protect all staff and users of the Hôpital général de Québec.
Note, however, that the most important outbreak currently is at the Residence Sainte-Marguerite de Boischatel, where there were 30 active cases as of Friday.
Less deadly
If the presence of the variant is confirmed, it remains to be determined to which strain it belongs.
Currently, 28% of the 392 active cases in the Quebec City region are variants, according to CIUSSS spokesperson Mélanie Otis. An increase of 13% to 16% from March 8.
But Ms Otis expects the lethality of the outbreak to be much less than if it had occurred last spring, especially due to vaccination.
Without being able to give exact figures, she specifies that the “very strong majority” of the 256 users received the first dose of the vaccine during the first wave of vaccination, as did the workers who were in close contact with them.
“The vaccine protects the vast majority of people from complications and death from COVID-19 […] and most positive cases [dans ce CHSLD] are users and workers who had received the vaccine, ”she explains.
Transmission possible
For the retired virologist Jacques Lapierre, it is not surprising that COVID-19 has made its way into this establishment despite the massive vaccination of the place.
“The vaccine manufacturers have never said that the vaccine protects against transmission, which is why we are asking to maintain sanitary measures. Especially after just one dose, ”explains Dr Lapierre.
Moreover, he fears that we will miss the target of maximum protection if we are still patient before giving the second dose of the vaccine to those who received it first, almost 100 days ago.
And the fact that experts say that a third wave will hit Quebec in April has nothing to reassure him.
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