After some downward trend in the number of new COVID-19 cases over the long weekend, health experts have shown optimism. However, there is a consensus: at the dawn of relaxation, the best way to de-stress is to prefer outdoor activities, without forgetting the usual precautions.
Special measures for “dark red” cutting I raised it on Monday, Particularly in Istry, Chaudyear Appalachia and Bass Saint Laurent, with non-essential businesses reopening and curfews postponed until 9:30 pm.
From next FridayOn May 28, curfews will be lifted across Quebec, restaurant terraces will be able to accommodate customers and outdoor gatherings of restricted to eight people will be permitted.
These activities are “safe” because the risk of contracting the virus is much lower during outdoor activities, explains Dr.Return Marie France Reno, CHUM Chief, Social and Preventive Medicine. “We still have to think about keeping our distance from people who aren’t in our bubble, even outside,” she recalls.
Other basic precautions should also be observed, such as not passing things from one hand to the other, or worse, “sharing beer or smoking the same hookah”. [narguilé] It says for example.
DReturn Reynoldt also advises not to take off and apply your mask again and again, as these measures increase the risk of contamination. “If we are sure that we will be within two meters of others for all the time we spend with them and that we will be protected, we can remove it. But it is better to place it and keep it throughout the activity if we think we will have to develop near other people who are not in our bubble,” she explains.
“And if there is a little wind, that is better,” says Roxanne Borges da Silva, a professor at the School of Public Health at the University of Montreal. Several studies have already proven that the virus is transmitted, among other things, by aerosols, and these very fine particles suspended in the air, like good ventilation, prevent the wind from accumulating. It is also believed to be a strong breeze during a storm Demonstration 1he is May against health measures Not promoting the infection. Rather, the reported cases among the protesters are related to bus transportation.
“Beaches gatherings don’t worry me as much as they do in confined spaces. You really should focus on outdoor activities as long as you’ve only received one dose,” confirms this specialist. Media in Montreal reported this weekend that hundreds of people had gathered on Montreal’s Cap-Saint-Jacques Beach and Oka Beach.
For gatherings in theaters or stadiums, even with sealed areas for every 250 people as Quebec will allow on Friday, these two public health experts are more cautious. DReturn Reynoldt.
The role of adolescents
Teens between the ages of 12 and 17 will be able to schedule their appointments from Tuesday morning at vaccination centers and from June 7 to 14 in schools. Remember, the Pfizer vaccine is only licensed for this entire age group in Canada.
Some vaccination centers have already opened their doors without an appointment with teenagers this weekend in Montreal, Laval, Chawenegan, Nicollet and Quebec.
MI Borges da Silva says her daughters seized the opportunity to get vaccinated, and she encourages other teens to do so. “We are shaping our character during this period, and social connections are very important. Teens struggle with not seeing their friends, so go there to speed things up,” she says.
To convince them, you remember that all unvaccinated people can be compounds of COVID-19 and thus pass the virus on to their loved ones. Although teens are less likely to have severe symptoms, they are also at risk of developing long-term COVID disease. “Nobody wants to lose their lung capacity at 13 or not smell odors for months,” she recalls.
I can’t wait for a second dose
CIUSS de la Capitale-Nationale reported Monday that it has received several requests for a second dose at its open-air clinic at Université Laval. Currently, only people at high risk of complications, especially those who are immunosuppressed or undergoing dialysis, can offer their second dose of the vaccine. The others have already received their second appointment, usually four months after the first dose.
MI So Borgès Da Silva calls for patience: “You have to wait until you have two doses to get true full vaccination coverage, whether it’s Pfizer or AstraZeneca.” New study conducted in real context In England, for example, it has been shown with a high level of confidence that the first dose of one of these vaccines or the other is 55 to 70% effective for preventing symptoms. A second dose prevents up to 90% of these symptoms, according to data compiled by Public Health England.
A single dose of Pfizer will be 75 to 85% effective against hospitalization, while with two, the proportion goes up to 90 to 95%.
Sunday and Monday, New infections have passed Below the 500 mark, the threshold the county has not fallen below since last September. It is also the weekly average that is decreasing, indicating that the trend is confirming itself after the past days.
“The latest numbers have been very encouraging,” said Benoit Barbu, a virologist and professor in the Department of Biological Sciences at Kuala Lumpur State University. Although, as a general rule, fewer people are tested on the weekends, which tends to reduce the number of new cases, he says, “There is no indication of a sudden increase.”
If he said he was still recently concerned about having more contagious variants in Quebec, he would have seen the vaccination campaign Already paid off. The third wave has been controlled here relatively better than other provinces in Canada, he notes, thanks to a combination of more restrictive measures, such as the complete closure of dining rooms in restaurants. “Quebec was very active, very early in the year,” he says. But the release should be “incremental,” as Mr. Barbu defines, because the other variants still surprise us.
Variant B.1617, which first appeared in India, is now noticed in Canada, but it is still variant B.1.1.7, which came from the United Kingdom, and is most commonly found in Quebec.
“Exercising or eating more fruits and vegetables is not the same as your usual general health recommendations. With COVID-19, one failure can lead you to intensive care.”Return Reynoldt.