Quebec physicians recommend masks to help with overflowing children’s ERs

The Quebec College of Physicians is urging people to wear masks in public once again to help with the “worrisome rise of respiratory viruses overflowing emergency rooms at children’s hospitals.”

They put the call out on Twitter Sunday afternoon, just as Doug Ford and the Public Health Director in Ontario recommended people do the same.

Avec la montée inquiétante des cas de virus respiratoires chez les enfants et le débordement des urgences pédiatriques, le Collège des médecins recommande à nouveau le port du masque dans les lieux publics afin de se protéger et de protéger les autres.

— Collège des médecins du Québec (@CMQ_org) November 13, 2022

Media reports say that the Quebec Health Minister is meeting with Public Health Tuesday to discuss the situation, but no press conference is planned as of yet.

On Friday, Canadian health officials also asked people to double down on protection efforts as temperatures get colder, reminding Canadians to make sure their vaccination is up to date.

Quebec’s public health director, Dr. Luc Boileau, has also asked Quebecers who have any symptoms to wear a mask, no matter the type of virus they have.

There has been a rise in respiratory viruses among children affecting hospitals and availability of medication across the country.

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In the Montreal area, emergency rooms have been operating near or at over capacity for weeks. As of Monday morning, the Montreal Children’s Hospital was operating at 100 per cent capacity. Sainte-Justine Hospital was just below that, sitting at 94 per cent capacity.

The Quebec College of Physicians is also urging Quebecers to be extra vigilant ahead of the holidays as we face a “triple threat.”