A steady increase in the number of positive cases of COVID-19 illness in the region following the first stages of deconfinement, coupled with the influx of campers to the area, have led the doctors of the Haut-Saint-Laurent to issue a joint statement recommending the use of masks and face coverings in public. The doctors are also strongly recommending that customers wear masks or face coverings when entering business establishments.
“Masks are not yet implanted in everyone’s brain,” Dr. Catherine Bélanger, COVID-19 coordinator for the Haut-Saint-Laurent LHN, says of the hesitation many seem to be exhibiting toward face coverings. She suggests one of the reasons the doctors decided to issue such a strong statement was to give credence to store and business owners who might want to require their customers wear masks.
Dr. Bélanger says the doctors are also pleased with recent resolutions passed at the municipal level to request the Sûreté du Québec patrol the area’s campgrounds and enforce public health regulations. She is also reassured by the effort campground owners have promised to make to keep their establishments safe for employees, campers, and the community. “Masks will be an additional protection,” she says, suggesting that if enough locals begin to wear them in public “our visitors will comply with our practices.”
Numbers still rising
There have been a total of 83 positive cases of COVID-19 reported in the Haut-Saint-Laurent LHN, with about a dozen new cases diagnosed in the past week. The number may not seem high, but it is enough that it continues to concern Dr. Bélanger. “It is here,” she says, adding that while other regions are increasingly concerned about a second wave of the disease, a first wave has yet to really hit to Valley.
“We are seeing and hearing anecdotally about cases,” she says. “We’re ready. We’ve been ready,” she adds, suggesting that she has been worried for the past four to six weeks as the numbers around the Haut-Saint-Laurent continued to swell. “There are patients in the community,” she says, noting that what is important to remember is the most contagious period with this virus are the two days before symptoms emerge and the first day with symptoms. Valley residents need to be aware the constant growth in numbers means that “there are cases that are incubating.” Luckily, all of the local CHSLDs and residences remain COVID-free, as long-term care facilities continue to be a focal point for outbreaks outside the immediate area.
With more activities opening up every week, the pressure is now increasing to keep the number of cases from growing at a faster rate. “How big the wave will be for us here will depend on people’s behaviour. We really need to be following the rules set out by public health,” says Dr. Bélanger, while rhyming off the key practices to remain safe: maintain a distance of two metres between people, wash hands often, stay home when possible, and when you have to go out, wear a mask.
Progressive reopening of clinics
Despite daily tallies that suggest the pandemic is far from over, health networks province-wide are gradually reopening. The same can now be said for local medical centres and clinics. “It will depend on the COVID load,” says Dr. Bélanger, noting that current numbers of infections should allow medical practitioners to progressively see more patients in person. “We are still screening and triaging, and we will be going slow so that we make sure we can safely accommodate our patients,” she explains, suggesting they are hoping for a return to around 70 percent of pre-COVID activities by the end of the year. Before the pandemic, the Ormstown Medical Centre would handle between 150 and 200 patient visits per day, so it will be some time before a full return can be expected. Telemedicine will still be the main way in which doctors will interact with their patients, and it is likely that some aspect of this practice will remain once the pandemic has passed.