3rd dose for infected people: Quebec did not follow the “for effectiveness” advice of INSPQ

Although Quevid-19 infected people are not recommended by its experts, Quebec opts to receive the 3rd dose of the vaccine “for efficacy” as soon as their symptoms end.

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“It is better to give a booster dose to those who have recently had COVID-19 than to leave those who do not have COVID-19 without additional protection,” the spokesman said. Ministry (MSSS), Robert Maranda, via email, Thursday.

However, Quebec confirmed on Wednesday that the decision was made “following a recommendation from public health.”

Two members of the Quebec Immunization Committee (CIQ), which reports directly to the National Institutes of Public Health (INSPQ), said it was a government decision.

On the day of his resignation, citing a “recommendation” issued by Dr. Horacio Arruda, the former National Director of Public Health, the MSSS said on Thursday that “as soon as COVID-19 is cured, there is no risk of taking a booster dose. ”.

In the document, which was reported by the QMI agency on Wednesday, Dr. Horacio Arruda specifically cited the positions of the American Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the National Advisory Committee on Immunization (NACI).

The position of the Quebec Immunization Committee (CIQ) is also mentioned there, but to say that it does not “eliminate” the option of giving the infected person a 3rd dose as soon as their symptoms end.

Therefore, “a citizen who receives a positive result for COVID may decide to wait up to 3 months before taking his 3rd dose, i.e. the duration prescribed by the CIQ”, refers to the MSSS.

In fact, the CIQ recommends that infected individuals wait “ideally” three months and “at least” eight weeks before using their booster dose. “Adverse effects” can occur in a recently infected person who receives their vaccine without respecting this deadline, they wrote in mid-December.

“It has not shifted towards scientific data, the disease provides excellent protection, but at present, operational or administrative requirements have been captured,” said Dr. Mary Guay, a professor and CIQ member at the University of Sherbrook. Wednesday.

“People who have recently had COVID-19 are left to make the best decision for their health, hoping they will have access to all the information to make an informed decision,” she added Thursday.

But the ministry noted that “tightening access to PCR tests and the availability of rapid tests make it difficult to distinguish individuals with recent COVID-19 from others.”

For Paul Saint-Pierre Plamandon, the leader of the party Cubacois, the department must be more transparent, especially when it comes to health care provided to the population.

“People have a right to know what is medically appropriate and recommended regardless of management and operational considerations or government will,” he stressed.

In the absence of screening tests, Paul Saint-Pierre Plamandon identified it as a “critical condition” but confirmed that it was necessary to “at least” explain the potential side effects to the population. Vaccine dose immediately after illness.

“The first step is to transparently disclose medical recommendations regarding the vaccine,” he said.