While (Quebec) Europe is suffering from the fifth wave of the pandemic, it particularly affects those who have not been vaccinated, and Health Minister Christian Dubey is concerned about areas in Quebec where vaccine coverage is low.
“The best example we see in Europe and Germany is that the pockets of unvaccinated people create problems. […] If I have concerns in Quebec, it’s my places, non-vaccinated areas. When asked about the possibility of a fifth wave of the pandemic in Quebec, we can think of the chowder-appalaches in the granite (in Estri), ”explained Minister Dube.
He clarified that vaccine coverage in Quebec was “high”, but that, as in Europe, some sub-regions had less protection. “That’s why if I draw parallel with Quebec, we have to focus on certain areas,” he added to the press.
Areas most affected by the epidemic currently have the lowest vaccination rates. Nunavic, which currently has 241 new cases per 100,000 residents, has the lowest vaccination rate, at 50.9%.
The second most affected area, with 16 new cases per 100,000, Estrie vaccinated 74.7% of its population adequately. This is less than the Quebec average of 77.5%. The same is true for Chowder-Appalachians, where 75.9% of citizens have their two doses. Further east, Kot-Nord, where the vaccination rate is 74.7%, has recently seen a significant increase in the number of cases.
At present, Minister Dubey has excluded the imposition of special measures for areas where vaccine coverage is low, or other restrictions, especially in Austria, targeting non-vaccinated individuals. “We are not here,” the minister said. Mr. Dubey argues that he wants to use communication and awareness to persuade non-vaccinators to lift their sleeves.
“Before I think about the fifth wave, my concern is not being vaccinated,” he added. The booster dose will be given to those aged 70 and over, vaccination of children between the ages of 5 and 11 is imminent and vaccination against influenza will also begin, the minister invited those who have not been vaccinated to come. Clinic as soon as possible.
“Because we get the benefit of it when the vaccine is available […] In December, I can tell you that I did not have the same vaccinators that I had at the height of the crisis this summer. I do not want people who have not been vaccinated to say to themselves in a few weeks: “My God, I can not go vaccinating anymore because the appointments are complete”, he explained.
Quebec authorities must provide a booster dose to 1.3 million eligible seniors. The administration of a third dose in residential settings for the elderly (220,000 people) is also ongoing. Quebec is also preparing to give the first dose to children 5 to 11 years old before Christmas. The group is estimated to have 650,000 children.
With Pierre-Andre Normandin
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