Dr. Boileau: recommends Quebec mask mandate be extended until mid-May
Posted April 21, 2022 1:19 pm.
Last Updated April 21, 2022 7:12 pm.
“The transmission of the virus may have started to slow,” said Quebec’s interim public health director Dr. Luc Boileau, but he is recommending to the provincial government extend the mask mandate until at least mid-May.
Dr. Boileau made the announcement on Thursday during a press conference in Montreal on the province’s COVID-19 situation. The mandate was to be dropped at the end of April for public spaces and early May for public transit. That now revised.
“We said that we recommended it because there is still a real pandemic situation right now in Quebec. It seems to not be as bad as it was a week ago, but it is still very heavy. The data coming in from CIRANO is still showing numbers of over 30 to 50,000 people per day, so it’s still really active and we still have to be careful with that. If the numbers start showing a drop than we can revise our recommendations to the government concerning mask wearing.”
Adding that public health needs a few more days to get a better picture of the actual epidemiological situation.
WATCH: Quebec Public Health Update Apr. 21
Hospitalizations expected to slow
Institut national d’excellence en santé et en services sociaux (INESSS) projections released Thursday show hospitalization should stabilize, even if new patients are anticipated. The latest data shows 2,405 people being treated for the virus in hospital, with 88 in ICU.
“There are about 2,400 [hospitalizations], maybe it will reach 2,500 in a few days, but it should not get really more than that, and in the intensive care unit it’s still around or less than 100 beds right now, which is great,” said Dr. Boileau. “Only five per cent of cases are moving to the intensive care unit, which is really different from the other waves and it’s great for our health care system because it’s really challenging in the health care system, but especially in the intensive unit.”
Close to 11,000 health care workers (10,932) are absent from the system for COVID-related reasons (preventive withdrawal, isolation, awaiting results, etc.).
Quebec is also experiencing flu season right now, which is placing an additional burden on the health system. Public health explaining that for all these reasons, Quebecers need to remain vigilant and avoid hospitalization.
Vaccination rates stalling
“Having had two doses is still something that is quite good, but still not as good as three doses – and we have to follow the science with that and recommend that it still be taken.”
Changes to isolation recommendations for immunocompromised
Public health also saying that the immunocompromised and those they live can now isolate for 10 days only if infected, instead of 21 as previously recommended.
