Covid-19 back into force in Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean with Iris

The number of hospitalizations, in particular, doesn’t lie. Under the five mark for much of the summer, it rose to 20 last week.

Almost all are “vulnerable” people, says Donald Aubin, regional director of public health. »

He adds: “The disease is still striking, but people who have immunity, who are often hybrids, recover more quickly. After a certain number of hours or two or three days, we at least feel that the fight has begun.” […] This is due to vaccination and the fact that people who have had it have some form of immunity. »

This new variant, which is currently in majority circulation, is Eris, a “descendant” of the previous version, XBB.1.5, which is still in the Omicron family, explains Dr. Donald Oppen. He agrees that the details are a bit complicated, but it simply means that the next vaccine, expected at the beginning of October in the region, will be more effective.

“This means that we will have a much more targeted vaccine. Instead of having a bivalent vaccine, which contains two vaccines, we will have a vaccine that contains only one strain. Since the other is a descendant of the first, this will give us a chance in terms of immunity.”

Although it would not refuse it to anyone, Public Health especially recommends this new vaccine to vulnerable people.

Because the coronavirus will already be spreading this fall, Donald Oppen predicts, while Eris could come with other variants, certainly with the old flu. “Influenza, you never know how many cases you’re going to get. There are years when we have a few, and others when we have a lot. That’s always November and December, during the holidays, unfortunately.”

He points out that we should behave more or less the same way with every virus from now on, whether it is Covid, influenza or gastroenteritis. Although there are no longer as strict guidelines as before, Public Health advises people to avoid contact as much as possible for the first few days.

“We trust residents who are already highly educated. […] There is a period when we are contagious, during which we can infect others in a significant way. Therefore, it is best to remain isolated as much as possible, to avoid spreading the disease. And if we need to communicate, we advise – but it is really advice – to wear a mask,” concludes Dr. Aubin, who has the impression that the message is well understood, as we see fewer and fewer patients in public places. According to him.