Public health urges Quebecers to get back into pandemic habits ahead of holiday season

Public health authorities are asking Quebecers to get back into their old pandemic habits ahead of the holiday season, as viruses continue to put pressure on the province's health-care system.

"This [December] is going to be tough. It's tough right now," said Dr. Luc Boileau, Quebec's director of public health, at a news conference Monday afternoon.

"If people don't agree to change their habits … it's going to be busy."

Boileau had previously stated that a "spicy cocktail" of three respiratory viruses — respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), COVID-19 and influenza, also known as the flu — was responsible for the pressure on Quebec's hospital systems.

While RSV appears to be on the decline, Boileau said influenza and COVID-19 cases are rising sharply in the province. He said the current influenza rates are comparable to what is usually seen much later in the season, in January.

"We can't predict what's going to happen. What we can predict is that it's going up and it's going to keep going up," he said.

Boileau said it's especially important to be careful heading into the pre-holiday season, where people will be gathering inside for shopping and for office parties.

The government is encouraging those who are at risk to get a flu shot and make sure they're up-to-date on their COVID-19 vaccines. Boileau said the flu shot is estimated to have "very good" efficacy, at 50 per cent.

He is also asking all Quebecers to get back into their holiday habits from last year. He said Quebecers should avoid going to holiday office parties if they're symptomatic and consider wearing masks in crowded spaces.

The government had recommended masks indoors a few weeks ago, but Boileau acknowledged that few answered the call.

"Sometimes I feel like I'm the only one wearing the mask," he said.

"I see that it's not everyone who does. But if you ask me if it'll make a difference … yes, it can change a lot."

School absences are 'good thing'

However, Boileau said the government still won't extend its masking recommendations to schools — despite high numbers of students out sick.

Last week, Montreal's Lester B. Pearson School Board sent out a memo to parents, saying student absences were "alarmingly high," nearly triple pre-pandemic numbers.

"Should you wish to encourage your child to wear a mask in class, we will ensure that masks are available to them. Given the high rates of illness and absence, we are strongly encouraging you to consider this measure," the memo read.

According to Quebec's Education Ministry, up to 12 per cent of the entire student population was out of school in late November.

But Boileau stressed that's not necessarily a bad thing. He said it means that parents are keeping their kids home when they're symptomatic — which is the right thing to do.

"We do highly recommend wearing masks if the student has a fever, if they're coughing, if their throat hurts or if they're congested," he said. 

As for very young children, below school age, Boileau said RSV has hit them particularly hard. Infants under six months of age are especially vulnerable to complications, he said.

He said parents of young babies should potentially reconsider big family gatherings and visits this year, to avoid high-risk situations.

"No one wants babies to suffer from this," he said. "With the high circulation levels we're seeing, it's not the time to unnecessarily expose young babies."

The government is expected to give another news conference with updated guidelines closer to the holidays.