Quebec lawmakers are becoming more and more concerned about the mounting number of new cases of COVID-19 variants. On Friday morning, opposition parties called the health minister to a debate where they challenged his testing and screening strategy.
READ MORE: Quebec to boost screening for coronavirus variants, ramp up vaccinations in Montreal
“They were late in getting their act together,” said Parti Quebecois MNA, Joël Arseneau.
Opposition parties grilled Health Minister Christian Dubé for two hours Friday morning. One of their main concerns was whether Quebec is equipped to screen for new variants.
“The strategy from the government of Quebec, for a few weeks now, has been: there is not a lot of variants, but it’s because we were not looking for them,” said Quebec Solidaire house leader, Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois.
Dubé said by next week the government will have ramped up screening in Montreal, where there are the most active cases. He added this is all part of the government’s second wave plan and efforts are paying off.
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“This morning I looked, and for three days in a row, there are no new outbreaks in CHSLDs,” he said.
However, experts warn the variants could throw everything off.
“All of them are more contagious, so if they spread, we’re going to have more cases. And if we have more cases, we’re going to have eventually more people in the hospital, said infectious disease specialist, Cécile Tremblay.
READ MORE: Past COVID-19 infection not a ‘free pass’ from new variants, experts say
The minister showed an openness to a suggestion from Quebec Solidaire to create more voluntary isolation centres for people who test positive for COVID-19 so they don’t infect their families.
The positivity rate is particularly high in places like Montreal North, Saint-Leonard and Rivière-des-Prairies.
“We know since the first wave that impoverished neighbourhoods and multicultural neighbourhoods are hit a lot harder by the pandemic,” said Nadeau-Dubois.
He said this is one reason why many people in these communities are not getting tested.
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