Asking health workers with COVID-19 to stay on the job shows how dire things are in Quebec: expert

Quebec is reporting another record-breaking number of daily COVID-19 cases on Wednesday with 13,149 new infections.

Another 10 virus-related deaths in the last 24 hours brings the death toll since the start of the pandemic to 11,702.

COVID-19 hospitalizations saw another big jump with 179 new patients admitted and 77 discharged for an increase of 102. Of the 804 people in hospital, 122 are intensive for an increase of seven over the previous day.

On Tuesday, Quebec Health Minister Christian Dubé announced that health-care workers who test positive for COVID-19 would — under certain conditions and on a case-by-case basis — be allowed to continue working.

Dubé explained the exponential growth of cases stemming from the Omicron variant means many health-care workers are being removed from the workplace, either because they have tested positive, are waiting for a diagnosis or were in contact with an infected person.

As of Tuesday, 7,000 health-care workers were absent because of COVID-19, with that number expected to hit 10,000 in the coming days.

Dubé said the province had no choice but to mandate the new measure, to keep the health network operational.

“If we had the necessary staff, we wouldn’t have to put this measure in place,” he said on Tuesday. “It’s about managing risks and weighing against any inconveniences.”

More health-care reaction

Many unions spoke out against the new measure on Tuesday, saying it is too “risky.” Instead they are calling for on-site testing for health-care workers, better protective gear including N95 masks and for staff not to be shuffled around from one location to the next, among other requests.

Dr. Don Vinh, an infectious diseases specialist and medical microbiologist at the McGill University Health Centre, agrees safety is a top concern.

“If we need to go back to work despite some of us being COVID-positive, then it better be in the safest conditions possible, and anything short of that would be irresponsible,” he said.

For Vinh, the government’s decision shows just how dire the situation is.

“The announcement that was made yesterday was unfortunate but understandable,” he said.

“Because right now the government’s priority is to get enough numbers of personnel into health- care systems or hospitals to provide care.”

1:24 COVID-19: CDC head explains decision to cut isolation period to 5 days

Carl Veilleux, chair of the board for the Association of Quebec Intermediate Accommodation Resources (ARIHQ) — an organization that represents and supports the assisted-living network — called it a last-resort measure.

“We don’t have any other alternative, we need to find people to cover all the shifts and provide services to our very vulnerable population,” he said.

Veilleux explained how being short-staffed is impacting the level of care that is being given.

He recounted how an employee who had been working multiple shifts over multiple days during the holidays made an error with a patient’s medication.

“It’s a good employee, who just happened to be overtired,” he said. “I believe it could have been avoided if we had access to sufficient staff and everybody could show up well-rested for their shift.”

2:10 Quebec announces some health workers with COVID-19 will be allowed to work

Vinh, for his part, said the MUHC has a strategy on expanding the number of COVID-19 units to be able to meet the demand as hospitalizations continue to rise.

A spokesperson for the MUHC said it has begun transferring a few non-COVID-19 patients, who don’t require advanced or specialized care, from the Royal Victoria and the Montreal General hospitals to the Lachine Hospital.

The move will allow to make room at the MUHC’s downtown sites for patients who are more severely ill, regardless of their COVID-19 status.

“This is a responsible way to ensure all beds at the MUHC are used and inpatient resources are maximized,” said spokesperson Sandra Sciangula.

Vaccine rollout

Meanwhile, the push continues to get third dose booster shots into the arms of as many Quebecers as possible.

READ MORE: COVID-19 infections soar with close to 13K daily cases reported in Quebec

As of Wednesday, essential workers including all school staff, public security personnel, people working for community organizations that provide health and social services, as well as food inspectors and slaughterhouse staff, among others, are being prioritized for a third dose.

From Jan. 4 to Jan. 21, the province will gradually open up spots according to age group for all adults.

To date, over one million booster doses have been administered in Quebec.

Officials have repeated the importance of getting a third dose as it provides significant increase in protection against the Omicron variant.

Since the start of the health crisis Quebec has recorded 572,419 infections and 482,502 recoveries bringing the number of active cases to 78,215.