January was the deadliest month since the start of the vaccination campaign in Quebec due to the astronomical number of infections, despite the large majority being adequately protected.
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“There have been so many cases in absolute number that even the added protection of vaccination is not enough to reduce the mortality rate below what it was before”, illustrates Christian Jacob, president of the Association of Quebec microbiologists.
According to data from the National Institute of Public Health (INSPQ), no less than 1,551 people died in connection with COVID-19 in January 2022.
The last months when there were more deaths in the province were in April and May 2020, with 2,647 and 2,443 victims.
The intense spread of the Omicron variant in Quebec could have claimed even more victims without a vaccine, agrees Mr. Jacob.
“It would have been catastrophic,” he says. Anywhere in the world, we would have been overwhelmed with cases. »
However, it is difficult to determine precisely how many Quebecers have been infected with COVID-19 in the last month, since Quebec is not able to count the results of rapid tests.
Third dose
This sad toll in January would probably have been less deadly if more citizens had been able to obtain their third dose, underline experts consulted by The newspaper.
Benoit Masse, teacher
“Unfortunately, we started a little late in Quebec, says epidemiologist Benoît Masse, professor at the School of Public Health at the University of Montreal. We would have avoided hospitalizations, we would have avoided deaths, if we hadn’t hesitated at the start. »
As of February 5, 47% of the population eligible to be vaccinated has received their booster dose.
In January, more than 60% of people whose death was linked to COVID-19 did not live in CHSLDs, seniors’ residences, an intermediate resource or a long-term care unit in a hospital center, according to the INSPQ .
Unheard of compared to the deadliest months.
Lack of home help?
A way will have to be found to give a booster dose to people who receive care at home, believes the DD Geneviève Dechêne, from the home palliative medical team at the CLSC de Verdun.
“I have several currently hospitalized, but if they had had the boostermaybe they wouldn’t be hospitalized,” she said.
In Laval and Montreal, Urgences-santé has seen an upsurge in calls for home death certificates with a suspected or confirmed infection from December to January.
“Overall, since [pandémie]we can say that we have a slight increase in cases of death at home, possibly attributable to COVID, ”advances Jean-Pierre Rouleau, corporate spokesperson for Urgences-santé.
A Deadly January
- Midlife: Death
- Intermediate or other resource: 63
- Home and unknown: 972
- Private residence for seniors: 243
- CHSLD or long-term care unit in a hospital center: 273
- Total: 1551
Source: National Institute of public health in Quebec
Reference-www.journaldemontreal.com