Quebec Doctors Want You To Mask In Public Again Because Of A 'Triple Threat' Of Viruses
"The approach of the holiday season should also invite us to behave cautiously and responsibly in the face of this triple threat."
A person wears a mask aboard an STM bus.
Though masking in public has been a recommendation in some cases since the mandate ended, Quebec health experts are calling on the public to once again adopt the measure in light of an increase in the number of respiratory virus cases in children and crowding in pediatric emergency departments.
Dr. Guylaine Larose, a pediatrician working at CHU Sainte-Justine, raised the alarm in a widely shared tweet on November 12, claiming that she had never seen as many children admitted to the hospital with respiratory viruses before. "Where is public health to advise the population on prevention?" the specialist wrote.
\u201cJe n\u2019ai jamais vu autant d\u2019enfants admis \u00e0 l\u2019h\u00f4pital avec des virus respiratoires. Mais o\u00f9 est donc la sant\u00e9 publique pour conseiller la population en mati\u00e8re de pr\u00e9vention?\u201d— Dre Guylaine Larose \ud83e\ude7a (@Dre Guylaine Larose \ud83e\ude7a) 1668304542
Now, Quebec’s Collège des médecins wants to see more widespread public mask-wearing.
\u201cL\u2019approche de la p\u00e9riode des F\u00eates devrait de plus nous inviter \u00e0 un comportement prudent et responsable face \u00e0 cette triple menace, afin d\u2019\u00e9viter une vague de cas qui compromettrait les retrouvailles.\u201d— Coll\u00e8ge des m\u00e9decins du Qu\u00e9bec (@Coll\u00e8ge des m\u00e9decins du Qu\u00e9bec) 1668369788
The organization described a "triple threat" posed by COVID-19, the flu and what it called "infantile viral infection." The Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC), for its part, has warned of increased levels of "respiratory syncytial virus" (RSV), which the agency says has been responsible for many children's hospital admissions.
The collège said masking was especially pertinent given the approach of the holiday season.
Both the PHAC and the Collège des médecins called on Quebecers to "renew their vaccination protection" as we head into cold season.
Meanwhile, hospitalizations related to COVID-19 have decreased slightly in the last few weeks in Quebec.
On November 10, there were 739 new reported COVID-19 cases and a total of 1,762 active hospitalizations, including 40 people in intensive care.