Coronavirus: Expert advice for safe decontamination

After a slight drop in the number of new COVID-19 cases over the long weekend, health experts are showing optimism. However, they are unanimous: at the beginning of relaxation, the best way to deconfine is to adapt to outdoor activities, not forgetting the usual precautions.

Special activities of many sectors in the “dark red” Were lifted on Monday, Especially in Estre, Chowder-Appalaches and Boss-Saint-Laurent, reopening unnecessary businesses and curfews delayed until 9:30 p.m.

From next FridayOn May 28, curfew will be lifted across Quebec, restaurant terraces will be able to accommodate customers and open meetings limited to eight people will be allowed.

D explains that these activities are “safe” because the risk of contracting the virus during outdoor activities is very low.^Back Mary-France Renault, Head of the Department of Social and Preventive Medicine at CHUM. “We still need to think about keeping our distance from people who are not in our bubble, even outside,” she recalls.

Items should not be passed from hand to hand, or worse should be noted other basic precautions such as “share other beers or compliment the same bottle”. [narguilé] She says for example.

The d^Back Since these measures increase the risk of contamination, Renault advises not to remove your mask repeatedly. “If we know for sure that we will be two meters away from others all the time we spend with others and that we will be protected, we can remove it. But if we think we need to evolve near other people who are not in our bubble, it is better to keep it and keep it throughout the activity,” she explains.

Roxanne Borges da Silva, a professor of public health at the University of Montreal, said: “It’s better to have some air. Numerous studies have shown that the virus spreads, among other things, by keeping these good cells in the air and, like good ventilation, preventing them from accumulating in the air. She believes there will be strong winds at big times Performance of 1^Is May against sanitation measures Did not promote infection. Instead, the cases reported among the protesters were related to bus transport.

“Meetings on the beaches are not so much, it’s confusing to me to be in confined spaces. You really have to focus on outdoor activities until you receive only a single dose,” the expert said. Reported.

With regard to meetings in theaters or stadiums, these two public health professionals are even more cautious as Quebec allows air-tight areas on every 250 people on Fridays. “The more we look at each other outside, the farther we keep, the quieter we get back quietly in the beautiful summer and autumn,” explains D^Back Renault.

Teenagers turn

Adolescents ages 12 to 17 can make appointments at vaccination centers from Tuesday morning and at schools from June 7 to 14. Keep in mind that the Pfizer vaccine is only valid for people of all ages in Canada.

Some vaccination centers in Montreal, Laval, Shavinigan, Nicolette and Quebec have opened their doors this weekend without an appointment.

Om^{To me} Borges da Silva said her daughters have had the opportunity to be vaccinated and she encourages other teens to do the same. “During this time we form our personality and social contacts are very important. Teenagers suffer from not seeing their friends, so go there to speed things up,” she says.

To convince them, all unwanted people could be vehicles of COVID-19 and thus spread the virus to their loved ones. Although teenagers are less likely to develop severe symptoms, they are also more likely to develop chronic COVID. “No one wants to lose the capacity of their lungs at 13 or not smell for many months,” she recalls.

Can’t wait for the second dose

CIUSS de la Capital-National reported on Monday that it had received several requests for a second dose at the Open Clinic at Laval University. Currently, only those who are at high risk of complications, especially those who are immunocompromised or on dialysis, can carry out their second dose of the vaccine. Others have already received their second date, usually four months after their first dose.

Om^{To me} Borges da Silva called for patience: “You have to wait until you get two doses to have real full vaccine coverage, whether it is Pfizer or Estrogen. “A The new study took place in a real context In England, for example, it has been shown with a high degree of confidence that one or the other of these vaccines is 55 to 70% effective in preventing first dose symptoms. According to data compiled by Public Health England, the second dose inhibits up to 90% of these symptoms.

One dose of Pfizer is 75 to 85% effective in the hospital, with both, increasing from 90 to 95%.

Sunday and Monday, New infections have passed Less than the 500 mark, the province has not fallen since last September. It also lowers the weekly average, which emphasizes the trend beyond the last days.

“Recent statistics are very encouraging,” said Benoit Barbeau, a virologist and professor in the Department of Biological Sciences at UQAM. As a general rule, fewer people are tested on weekends, which reduces the number of new cases, “there are no indications of a sudden increase,” he said.

If he said he was still worried about the presence of more infections in Quebec, he would have seen the vaccine campaign Already has fruits. The third wave is better controlled here than in other provinces in Canada, thanks to more restrictive measures such as the complete closure of restaurant dining rooms. “Quebec is very powerful, and at the beginning of the year,” he says. But the release should be “regular,” Mr. Barbeau dictates, because other variations still surprise us.

The B.1617 variant, which first appeared in India, is now under consideration in Canada, but it is still the B.1.1.7 variant, which comes from the United Kingdom, mostly in Quebec.

“Exercising or eating more fruits and vegetables is not like the general public health recommendations. With COVID-19, a single failure can lead you to intensive care,” says D.^Back Renault.

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