By Ruby Pratka

Local Journalism Initiative

Quebec Health Minister Christian Dubé urged Quebecers to avoid emergency rooms unless suffering from severe symptoms as health officials warned of accelerated COVID and flu circulation in the leadup to the holidays.

Overcrowded emergency rooms and long wait times have been a recurring theme in Quebec over the last several months. As this story was being written on Dec. 22, three of the four hospital emergency rooms in the Estrie region – Granby Hospital, Brome-Missisquoi-Perkins (BMP) Hospital and CHUS Fleurimont – were operating at over 100 per cent capacity, and a patient waiting on a stretcher in the BMP emergency room could expect to wait nearly 19 hours.

“There are many people who come for urgent care who don’t have an urgent problem,” Dubé said. “I’m not saying they’re not worried, but their concerns aren’t urgent. There are other things [people in this situation] can do – take care of yourself at home, ask for advice from your pharmacist, call your family doctor’s office if you have access to one, call 811 or the pediatric helpline,” he said, acknowledging that 811 wait times may be longer than usual at times due to the nurses’ strike.

Dubé pointed to a seasonal resurgence of respiratory viruses, winter vacations, an ongoing labour shortage and the strikes as among the many reasons for emergency room overcrowding. “Emergency rooms are always functioning at 100 per cent [staffing levels], even during a strike, but some other departments are only functioning at 40, 50, 70 per cent,” he said, adding that the government respects the right to strike.

Public health director Dr. Luc Boileau warned that COVID-19 infections were still rising, largely due to a recent variant (JN.1) that is believed to be more contagious – although not necessarily more virulent – than its predecessors. Case numbers were believed to be “nearly doubling every week,” he said, with an estimated 40,000 to 50,000 new cases per day. Flu cases have also been on the rise over the past several weeks, and are expected to “go into a period of more intense activity” over the coming months, Boileau said, with H1N1 (the “swine flu” variant which led to a pandemic in 2009) expected to be responsible for a significant number of infections. Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) – which isn’t usually dangerous for healthy adults but can send young children and vulnerable people to hospital – seemed to have peaked, according to data shown by Boileau, but was still circulating.

“If you have a fever, stay home. If you have symptoms and you must go out, wear a mask…until the end of your symptoms. If you’re sick, wait ten days before coming into contact with vulnerable people and avoid non-essential events,” Boileau said, emphasizing the need to “stay vigilant” and protect young children, elderly people, people with weak immune systems and those who are pregnant.

“In the event of symptoms, it is important to take actions that limit the transmission of viruses and to use advice and guides to treat yourself at home. When symptoms worsen, call Info-Santé at 811 option 1. After assessment, the staff may refer you to a medical appointment if necessary,” Miriam Filion, a spokesperson for the CIUSSS de l’Estrie-CHUS, said in a statement. “The Info-Santé services, the Front Line Access Desk and various information tools on our web pages are also available in English.”

Boileau called on people who don’t have up-to-date COVID or flu shots to get vaccinated. “It’s not too late and it’s not just to protect yourself for the holiday season – these infections will be there all winter,” he said.

COVID and flu vaccines are free in most pharmacies, and effective at preventing complications leading to hospitalization, even if they don’t prevent all infections, according to Dr. Nicholas Brousseau of the Institut national de la santé publique du Québec (INSPQ). A vaccine for RSV was recently approved for use in Canada for seniors, but is not widely available yet, Brousseau said. He said both the Quebec and federal vaccination committees would evaluate the vaccine in the coming months and conduct a cost-benefit analysis to see if it was “relevant” to roll out a widespread public vaccination campaign for the illness.