Healthcare unions are opposing Quebec’s decision to allow some asymptomatic workers infected with COVID-19 to stay on the job, even as an infectious disease specialist warned more Canadian provinces may be forced into similar steps as Omicron surges.
And it is turning into a damned-if-you-do and damned-if-you-don’t situation as the coronavirus surge leads to new one-day highs in six Canadian provinces Wednesday, according to ABC News.
The biggest jump in cases was in Ontario, Quebec, and British Columbia, the country’s most populous provinces. Quebec reported more than 13,000 new cases in the previous 24 hours, Ontario had 10,436 and British Columbia listed 2,944.
Manitoba, Alberta, and Newfoundland and Labrador also set new records. Manitoba reported 947 new infections, which broke the previous high of 825 set one day earlier. Alberta said it had 2,775 and Newfoundland and Labrador reported 312.
The strain on healthcare networks
Even as some provinces are reporting soaring rates of COVID-19 infections, health experts are warning that the case count may be higher – pointing out that data has been obscured by holiday delays and with hospitals and testing centers reaching their limits.
Canada has kept to the protocols for people who test positive for the virus, meaning 10 days of isolation if a person receives a positive test result. This has resulted in a high rate of absenteeism.
Because of the high number of cases, U.S. health authorities on Monday shortened the recommended isolation time for Americans with asymptomatic cases of COVID-19 to five days from the previous guidance of 10 days.
Quebec, however, announced a new policy for healthcare workers on Tuesday in the face of thousands of COVID-related absences, despite a wave of backlash from health unions and experts.
Réjean Leclerc, president of the Fédération de la santé et des services sociaux, which represents 120,000 public and private sector healthcare workers in Quebec, said Quebec’s decision will put healthcare networks under further strain, and workers and patients at risk.
Reuters is reporting that Leclerc said, “The network is not prepared to face the risks of the government’s decision to bring asymptomatic infected staff back to work. Right now, we are not even able to test staff in their workplace.”
Leclerc called for better testing for workers and improved ventilation in hospitals.
“We cannot subscribe to this decision which endangers the health and safety not only of our members but above all of the vulnerable people to whom they must provide essential care and services,” the Alliance of Professional and Technical Personnel in Health and Social Services said in a social media post.
The union represents 60,000 workers in public health and social services institutions across Quebec.
Andrew Morris, a professor of infectious diseases at the University of Toronto, noted on Wednesday that other provinces are probably discussing similar measures to tackle staffing shortages.
“Every jurisdiction in the northern hemisphere is dealing with the same problem. The clear reality is we will not be able to function by keeping everyone isolated for 10 days,” he said.
And according to CTV News, Manitoba and Ontario have said they are considering similar measures to avoid overwhelming their own health systems.
Ontario also announced that beginning on Thursday, long-term care homes won’t accept general visitors or allow residents to leave for social reasons in order to avoid exposure to the virus.
