As summer comes to an end, Quebecers must prepare for a “triple epidemic” of respiratory viruses in the fall, as Public Health warns that influenza, COVID-19 and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) will circulate simultaneously.
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“These are the three main viruses […] During COVID-19, other viruses circulated very little, but now they have really re-emerged and will be present this year,” says Nicholas Brousseau, public health physician at Quebec’s National Institute of Public Health.
Even if the flu season has not yet started here, the prevalence of the type A influenza virus (AH1N1) is to be expected, says the expert.
At least this scenario happened in Australia, where the winter season, the opposite of ours, started a little earlier than expected.
The Australian flu season is an important benchmark for public health experts here, says Dr. Brousseau. “It was a good season, but not catastrophic,” explains the expert.
Children in hospital
A highlight this year on the other side of the world: 71% of hospital admissions for confirmed cases of flu were children under 16, emphasizes the Australian Department of Health.
However, it is impossible to predict whether the situation will repeat itself here in the coming months, warns Dr. Brousseau.
Nearly 200,000 cases of COVID-19
Additionally, COVID-19 has been on the rise in Quebec for several weeks.
Popularly called Eris, it is the EG.5 variant, which has been widely used since its introduction last July.
According to INSPQ’s latest estimates, there were between 127,000 and 204,000 cases of COVID-19 in the first week of September.
Vaccinations
A new vaccine for COVID-19 was just approved by Health Canada. It is capable of protecting against the sub-variant Omicron XBB.1.5, a distant relative of Eris.
“This vaccine contains similar components to the Eris variant, so we expect vaccinated people to have good protection,” explains Dr. Brousseau.
The arrival of this vaccine in Quebec is expected to take place in the coming weeks, says the Ministry of Health.
In addition, the flu vaccination campaign will begin in October, while making an appointment is already possible on the Clic Santé platform.
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