Respiratory disease

Since the start of the pandemic, measures put in place to limit the spread of the COVID-19 virus have led to several upheavals that have affected young adults. The closing of educational institutions, online learning, massive layoffs in sectors employing mostly young workers, the reduction of access to certain places of socialization usually frequented by young adults, the change in the offer of formal parenting support for young parents, and a reduction in access to mobility are factors…

Recently, various strategies have been recommended in a number of jurisdictions regarding the time interval between the two doses of COVID-19 vaccines. The Ministère de la Santé et des Services sociaux (MSSS) has asked the Comité sur l'immunisation du Québec (CIQ) to explain the basis of these different intervals. The MSSS also inquired whether the CIQ has maintained the recommendations that it put forward in a recent scientific notice, in particular, the recommendation to offer an initial…

As the SARS-CoV-2 virus drives a worldwide pandemic, our scientific understanding of how it is transmitted is constantly evolving. There is an ongoing debate on various aspects of this process, particularly aerosol transmission. In part, this debate reflects a lack of consensus on the definitions of the terms used to describe the transmission of infectious agents via the respiratory tract.

This text presents a review of the scientific literature focused on the aerosol mode of…

This support document was written at the request of the Ministère de la Santé et des Services sociaux (MSSS) to support the work of the members of the group of scientific and technical experts focusing on the use of ventilation in healthcare and educational institutions during the current COVID-19 pandemic. The purpose of this document is, more specifically, to take stock of the current knowledge on the transmission of SARS-CoV-2 in building interiors and to develop a portrait of the…

The number of cases, hospitalizations, and deaths due to COVID-19 have been increasing in Quebec since August 2020. In addition to the suffering of those infected and their friends and family, caring for patients and their contacts creates a significant burden for healthcare workers, who are frequently infected, threatening the integrity of our healthcare system. The way the pandemic develops in the coming months will depend on the population’s compliance with the recommendations to…

This report aims to quantify the effect of comorbidities on the risk of death in confirmed COVID-19 cases. Specifically, its objectives are: 1) to identify comorbidities associated with the risk of death; 2) to evaluate the impact of the number of comorbidities on the risk of death according to living environment and age. In a secondary analysis, we looked at the impact of comorbidities on the risk of hospitalization.

The COVID-19 pandemic and its economic and social repercussions have highlighted the social and health inequalities that make Indigenous communities particularly vulnerable to the pandemic and its impacts.

This document presents measures and means to mitigate the effects of the pandemic  on food insecurity.

This information sheet replaces publication 2962: Reception of Temporary Foreign Workers to Support Agri-Food Activities

These measures apply when community transmission is confirmed by public health authorities. Based on current knowledge, it is known that COVID-19 can be transmitted by presymptomatic, symptomatic, and asymptomatic carriers of the disease. Preventive measures are therefore recommended at all times.

The prevention measures recommended by the…

The Canadian Quarantine Act provides exemptions from quarantine upon arrival in Canada for temporary foreign workers who are deemed by the Chief Public Health Officer of Canada to provide an essential service. It is the responsibility of the host company to verify that the temporary foreign workers it employs meet the exemption criteria. Workers may only be exempt from quarantine if they have no symptoms upon arrival. Despite this exemption, companies and the ETFWs they bring in as…