Have you been aware of the dangers before?

Adheres to sanitary measures along with the desire to return to normal life. A final effort is needed to prevent the COVID-19 vaccine campaign from being suppressed before it can end.

After the pandemic has been going on for more than a year and the summer is fast approaching it is hard to find the motivation to limit.

With the newer, more contagious variants, however, there is no place to relax. Vaccination, limiting contact, physical distance and wearing a mask should continue for a while, experts say.

And these measures apply both indoors and outdoors, where the risk is not zero.

You may find yourself in some of the following situations, where you are at risk of contracting COVID-19 or even spreading it to those around you.

Meet (finally) together as a family

Is vaccination free? Not yet arrived!

Care should be taken after receiving the first dose, as the effect of the vaccine is not immediate and does not provide flawless protection.

Nathalie Grand‌wax, a researcher on infectious diseases and immunology, said the misconception of safety associated with the vaccine was a real problem.

“You should not consider immunity after the first dose,” she stressed. People need to understand that. “

The first dose does not reach its full effect until two to three weeks after the injection, giving only 70% to 80% protection.

The second dose strengthens this defense, Dr. Kwach recalled.

“You can not tell vaccination centers: ‘Hooray! I’m safe.’ You need to give your body time to do its job.”

– Caroline Kwach, Infectious Disease Microbiologist at CHU Saint-Justin

Dr. Grand‌wax fears that the magic idea of ​​the vaccine will increase as the vaccine is provided to young people, who may be tempted to increase social interactions, hence the importance of hammering the message.

A trip to the park

With beautiful weather setting, there is a great temptation to gather outside.

Taking advantage of the spring to finally see your loved ones again can be dangerous, especially if the excitement and emotions lower your defenses.

Are the scenery of crowded parks a reflection of normalization?

“Disgust [décider de se rassembler quand même] And meet in a park, where sitting on a bench or picnic table is 2 meters not manageable, ”explained Dr. Kwach.

But this is not distrust of health measures.

“It is unconscious, the epidemiologist believes. Even if you agree to stay 2 meters, it will come back naturally. In the end, you pass yourself a glass, a plate. You get close because of the noise, the wind and you can’t hear well. “

“At that point, it was better to wear a mask,” she sums up.

“Your friends, you’ll see them up close rather than two meters away, if you don’t really fix the chair on the floor and move it.” “

– Caroline Kwach, Infectious Disease Microbiologist at CHU Saint-Justin

“People do it unknowingly because they have recorded that it is not dangerous outside,” said Nathalie Grandwax of the CHUM Research Center. But they do not realize this proximity. It is more subconscious than the Rule Challenge. And even some fatigue. “

Outdoor cardio session

It takes creativity to stay active and in shape.

However, be careful that your activities do not become an opportunity for meeting and socialization, where you may be tempted to put aside sanitation activities.

Variations changed the situation, repeating Nathalie Grandvox.

“At less than 2 meters, we can not completely exclude that the transmission level of the outdoor variants is very low.”

– Nathalie Grandwax, Immuno Pathology Researcher at CRCHUM

Already more contagious, there is also a shorter incubation period in the variants, Caroline Kwach continues. Therefore, the transmission chain is accelerating as there is a risk of losing control quickly over the epidemic.

This is one reason why the gym gives priority to outdoor physical activity over exercise.

According to Dr. Kwach, these variations make young people ill, at risk of hospitalization and even end up in intensive care.

Getaway in nature

You want to escape being confined to one place for too long.

But in the cabin, even in the middle of the jungle, meeting with small groups of friends quickly destroys all previous attempts to defend themselves.

Looking at yourself on the outside is still less risk than on the inside.

“It simply came to our notice then. Nathalie Grandwax emphasizes that we respect 2 meters and in the group of 50 we do not stick to each other. This must be done in a safe manner. “

One view shared by Caroline Kwach feels that as many latitudes as possible should be given on activities that need to be done outside.

“The risk is still much lower than inside. As long as we have meetings, as well as they are outside.”

– Caroline Kwach, Infectious Disease Microbiologist at CHU Saint-Justin

“Pandemic fatigue” is most noticeable inside the home, Nathalie Grand‌wax continues and is not required for illegal private meetings.

“There is a lot of focus on private meetings, but there are a lot of meetings in the office. People still have to mix there and be less careful at 2 meters.”

Doing things like wearing a mask, adding and multiplying houses all the time inside the house is the right thing to do.

Question on everyone’s lips

One year after the pandemic, the last attempt will be difficult to complete.

“It’s obvious that people are tired,” Dr. Kwach admits.

“But we can allow the little freedom we have, because we have been careful so far and we have not allowed a third wave to be put away,” Nathalie Grand‌wax noted, referring to Quebec.

It is the sanitary measures, but above all their dignity, that enable this balance to be maintained.

“Don’t underestimate your defenses. You have come so far to stay healthy. Now is not the time to risk everything. “

– Nathalie Grandwax, Immuno Pathology Researcher at CRCHUM

“When will we get back to a normal state?” To the question of whether. “Experts are careful.” This summer, we have the impression that we can get some calm, “said Dr. Kwach.” Relatively good summer, but not yet normal. “

There is a lot to do with the vaccine campaign. “When everyone gets their first dose, it is different. We can have some groups and resume some activities without fear of losing control, ”she said.

Then comes the administration of the second dose and immunization for young people, for whom vaccines have not yet been approved.

Resistance to vaccines needs to be considered. To return to normal, a significant portion of the population must also have immunity.

“It’s hard to reverse, because it’s also dependent on the behavior of the variants. Nothing tells us that the new variant will not emerge and be resistant to vaccines,” Dr. Quatch adds.

“We were never safe,” Nathalie Grandwax recalled. All of the types we have problems with come from the outside. “

Thus Canada’s efforts are also linked to other parts of the world, where vaccination is not as advanced in some places and the virus travels further.

At this point, the watchword is the same everywhere: adherence to health measures can help limit the spread of the virus and prevent the emergence of variants while the vaccine campaign continues.