Comité sur l'immunisation du Québec
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 minimize contacts, maintain physical distancing, wear a mask, and wash hands. It will also depend on the general measures enacted by the government. Unless there is dramatic improvement in the population’s compliance or there are much stricter measures implemented, we cannot expect a swift decline in the weekly number of new hospitalizations and deaths without vaccination. In the short term, the impact of vaccination will depend on the targeted groups, the vaccination coverage within these groups, and the vaccine’s effectiveness.
