Dr. Gaston De Serres, an epidemiologist at the National Institut de santé publique du Québec (INSPQ), made it official to several media outlets on Wednesday, the same day Quebec recorded 47 more hospitalizations and a daily increase of more than 3,000 people who tested positive. The statement was expected, as public health experts have been saying for days that the province was in the middle of the latest wave amid an increase in cases and hospitalizations, as well as an increasing rate of positivity, due to the highly contagious BA variant.2. It is now the dominant variant in Quebec. Although the daily increase in cases is a cause for concern – as the number is probably much higher given the fact that PCR testing in the province has been limited to some priority groups of people since January 2022 – public health experts say the Quebecers are much more protected from the virus now than in previous waves. With high vaccination rates in most age groups and several cases of previous infection in recent months, they say Quebec should be able to handle the latest wave. The Quebec Ministry of Health said it was monitoring the situation and recommended “attention” to the public, adding in a tweet that “No new health measures are being considered”.

COVID19 – The INSPQ today confirmed to public health that Quebec has entered a 6th wave of COVID-19.

Public health monitors the situation and recommends caution. No new health measures are foreseen. – Health Quebec (@sante_qc) March 30, 2022 The Provincial Health Research Institute, Institut National d ‘Excellence en santé et en services sociaux (INESSS), said Wednesday that hospitalizations were up 18 percent from last week after 527 people were hospitalized for the virus. compared to 447 from the previous week. Dr. Matthew Oughton, an infectious disease specialist at the Jewish General Hospital in Montreal, said Quebec is going through this new wave of limited data due to the province’s lack of warning signs in previous pandemic chapters, which could be a problem. Points to limited access to PCR testing and elimination of virus effluent testing as examples. Quebec canceled its sewage testing program in December 2021, but the Department of Health said it planned to repeat it on an unspecified date. “What is the danger of driving on the highway if you can not see through your windshield? You do not really know where you are going. Honestly, for me, at the moment, the indicators we have that tell us at least something are, unfortunately, very “Delayed indicators,” he told CTV News on Wednesday shortly before the sixth wave was officially announced. “We count the number of people admitted to the hospital with a diagnosis of COVID-19. We look at the number of people who need an ICU bed. These are certainly important in terms of the health care system, but these are the kind of measurements that tell you what was going on in the community where these cases came from maybe two weeks ago. “

IT’S NOT THE TIME TO REMOVE A MASK ORDER: SPECIALIST

On Tuesday, the Ministry of Health and Social Services officially began delivering fourth doses of the vaccine to people living in CHSLDs and private nursing homes (RPAs). People aged 80 and over and people with weakened immune systems can also make an appointment for their fourth souvenir. Those who have not yet made an appointment for a third dose and are eligible should get their booster vaccine, said Dr. Oughton, adding that he believes now is not the time to lift existing public health measures. He said it made no sense to lift the cover-up mandate for almost all public spaces, something Quebec is scheduled to do in about two weeks from now if the province adheres to its reopening schedule. “Viruses do not read calendars,” Dr. Oughton said. “For me, I think it would be very appropriate to say that at this point – unless things improve suddenly and drastically – we should not end the mandate of the mask. Masks are something that everyone can wear and protect themselves and those around them. “