While it is anticipated that the peak of the virus will be reached in the coming weeks in the region, Dr. Carol McConnery, medical consultant at the Outaouais Public Health Department, recalls that many time slots are available and that the vaccine is effective 10 to 14 days after the dose.
The positivity rate varies between 18% and 20%, she mentions, specifying that it is difficult to assess it accurately.
“There is still time to protect yourself. […] We see that it is slowly increasing, we have several indicators that we are looking at. Yes, there are laboratory tests, but you should know that the people who get tested are the sickest, those who go to the emergency room. The majority are sitting at home, she said. We also look at the number of calls to the Info-Santé line (811) and visits to the emergency room for cough and fever.”
This type of vaccination is the subject of several myths and is a personal choice, but certainly cannot do any harm, in his opinion.
“We have people who will never get vaccinated against influenza and that has always been the case. And the vaccine is not 100% effective, we take what circulates in the southern hemisphere (to produce it) but sometimes we get the wrong target. But we know that vaccinated people have fewer complications.”
— Dr Carol McConnery, medical consultant at the Outaouais Public Health Department
The categories of people to whom an appeal is launched are, she recalls, those for whom this virus carries more risks, i.e. people aged 75 and over, residents of CHSLDs or private residences for seniors (RPA ), pregnant women, young children and anyone aged six months and over with a chronic illness.
Rate comparable to previous years
Dr. McConnery specifies, however, that the current vaccination rate is comparable to previous years in Outaouais. For example, in CHSLDs, the proportion is nearly 75%, while it is around 61% in RPAs. Among those aged 75 and over overall, the current rate is approaching 55%.
-Nearly 72,000 people have received the flu vaccine since the fall in Outaouais. (Stéphane Lessard/Archives Le Nouvelliste)
“In general, these are the people who are the best vaccinated, we have good coverage. […] What we are targeting is mainly people in CHSLDs, RPAs or healthcare environments,” she explains, specifying that the vaccination rate is in certain respects “to be seen with a grain of salt. “.
More than 71,500 doses have been administered since this fall in Outaouais.
“It’s pretty typical. It’s a virus that hits with a sudden blow, people will say: I was sitting down, I was okay and I started having bad chills, muscle pain. It’s a virus that multiplies in large muscles, says the specialist. People will say it’s like they got hit by a truck.”
Fever and cough are common symptoms of the flu, but there are few nasal symptoms, she says.
Dr. McConnery says several respiratory viruses – up to six – are currently circulating in the population, including influenza, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and rhinovirus.
