Adherence to hygiene breaks down with the desire to return to normal life. But one last effort is needed to not undermine the Coronavirus vaccination campaign before it ends.
It’s hard to find the motivation to stay squeezed over a year into the pandemic and with summer fast approaching.
However, with the new, more contagious variants, there is no room for relaxation. Experts insist that even with grafting, reduced contact, physical distancing, and mask wearing should continue for some time into the future.
And these measures are applied both indoors and outdoors, where the risk is not zero.
You may recognize yourself in some of the following situations, as you run the risk of contracting COVID-19 or even spreading it to those around you.
They (finally) got together as a family
Is vaccination free? Not yet!
Care should be taken after taking the first dose, as the effect of vaccination is not immediate and does not provide impeccable protection.
The false sense of safety associated with vaccination is a real problem, says Natalie Grandvo, an infectious disease and immunology researcher.
And she insists, “You shouldn’t consider yourself immune after the first dose.” People need to understand that. “
Not only does the first dose not reach its full effectiveness until two to three weeks after the injection, it provides protection of only 70% to 80%.
The second dose boosts this protection, Dr. Quach recalls.
“You cannot let vaccination centers say to yourself: Hurray! I am protected.” You have to give your body time to do its job. “
– Caroline Coach, infectious disease microbiologist at CHU Sainte-Justine
Dr Grandvaux fears that magical thinking about vaccination will increase with the vaccination of young people, who may tend to increase social interactions, hence the importance of refining the message.
Trip to the park
With the beautiful weather environment, there is a great temptation to gather outside.
But taking advantage of spring to finally see your loved ones again is risky, especially if enthusiasm and emotions make you let your guard down.
Are scenes of crowded parks a reflection of generalized weariness?
Disgust [décider de se rassembler quand même] And you meet in a park where sitting on a bench or picnic table cannot maintain two meters, ”Dr. Coach explains.
But this is not a lack of confidence in sanitary measures.
“He’s unconscious, the epidemiologist thinks. Even if you agree to stay two meters, the natural return comes back with a mare. At the end, you pass yourself a glass, a plate. You come close because there is noise and wind and you don’t hear well.”
Summarizes, “At this stage, it is best to wear a mask.”
“Your friends, you see them up close, not two meters away, unless you’ve already fixed a chair on the floor and it hasn’t moved.” “
– Caroline Coach, infectious disease microbiologist at CHU Sainte-Justine
“People are doing it unconsciously because they recorded the fact that it wasn’t risky outside,” says Natalie Grandvo of the CHUM think tank. But they do not realize this proximity. It is more subconscious than challenging the norm. And some fatigue, too. “
An outdoor cardio session
It takes creativity to be active and to stay in shape.
Be careful, however, that your activities turn into an opportunity for meeting and socializing, as you may be tempted to put health measures aside.
The variants have changed the situation, Natalie Grandvo reiterates.
“We cannot completely rule out that the level of transportation for outdoor variants, at a distance of less than two meters, is very low.”
Nathalie Grandvaux is a researcher in immunopathology at CRCHUM
And Caroline Coach continues that the variants are actually more infectious, and they also have a shorter incubation period. Consequently, the chain of transmission is accelerating, with the risk of rapidly losing control of the epidemic.
This is part of the reason I prefer outdoor physical activities over workouts in the gym.
The variables also seem to make young people more sick, with the risk of being hospitalized and even ending up in intensive care, according to Dr. Quach.
A haven in nature
Staying too long in one place may make you want to escape.
But meeting small groups of friends in a cabin, even in the middle of the woods, can sabotage all previous efforts to protect themselves quickly.
Seeing yourself outside is still less dangerous than seeing yourself inside.
“On the outside, it’s safer.” Provides Natalie Grandvo that we respect the two meters and not stick together in a group of 50 people, it must be done in a safe manner.
A view shared by Caroline Coach, who believes that we should be given as much freedom as possible in the activities that should be done abroad.
“The risk is still much lower from the inside. As long as we have gatherings, they are just as well outside.”
– Caroline Coach, infectious disease microbiologist at CHU Sainte-Justine
“Epidemic fatigue” is noticed more indoors, Natalie Grandvo continues, not necessarily in private, illegal gatherings.
“There has been a lot of focus on private gatherings, but there are a lot of gatherings in the workplace. People will still mingle there and they will be less careful at two meters high.”
Therefore, wearing a mask at all times indoors, when families are mixing and multiplying, is the right thing to do.
The question is on everyone’s lips
A year into the pandemic, the latest effort appears to be the hardest of all.
“People are clearly tired,” Dr. Koch admits.
“But we can allow ourselves a little bit of freedom that we’re enjoying because we’ve been careful so far and haven’t let the third wave go away,” Natalie Grandvo notes, in turn, notes, referring to Quebec.
It is the sanitary measures, but above all respecting them, that make it possible to maintain this balance.
“Don’t let your guard down. You have come this far to keep yourself healthy. Now is not the time to risk everything.”
Nathalie Grandvaux is a researcher in immunopathology at CRCHUM
To the question “When will we return to a certain normal condition?” “Experts are cautious.” This summer, we are under the impression that we will be able to find some calm, “says Dr. Kouache. A relatively decent summer, but not yet normal.”
The vaccination campaign will have a big role in this. “When everyone gets their first dose, it will be different. We will be able to resume having certain groups and engage in certain activities without fear of losing control,” she said.
What do you miss the most?
After a year of pandemic, lockdowns and restrictions, a return to normal is more than expected. Dinner at a restaurant with friends, attending a concert or sports match, traveling the world … what are you most looking forward to in your life after COVID-19?
Email us your response.
Then comes the administration of a second dose and immunization of younger people for whom vaccinations have not yet been approved.
However, vaccination resistance is a dilemma that must be taken into account. To return to normal, a large proportion of the population also needs to be vaccinated.
“It is difficult to predict, because it also depends on the behavior of the variables. Nothing tells us that a new variant will not emerge and that it will be resistant to vaccination,” adds Dr. Quach.
“We are never safe,” recalls Natalie Grandvo. All of the variants that we have a problem with are coming from outside. “
Therefore Canada’s efforts are also linked to the efforts of the rest of the world, where vaccination is not advanced in some places and where the virus is more transmitted.
Meanwhile, the password is the same everywhere: adherence to health measures helps limit the spread of the virus and prevent variants from appearing during the vaccination campaign.
The illustrations representing the risk of COVID-19 infection were visualized from our field observations and those of the experts.
Please note that some scenarios may be blocked or restricted in your region at the time of publication or reading.
It aims simply to highlight and evoke elements that must be taken into account when the time comes to assess the risks associated with our activities.
We did not evaluate it ourselves, As in this previous project, Because the variables and the vaccination campaign complicate measuring the level of risk.
Risks also vary according to several factors, ranging from the presence or absence of a person infected. The number of people, the proximity between them, the duration of the interactions and the location of their gathering also have an impact, as does the health measures in place and their respect or disrespect by the population.
Daniel Blanchett-Pelletier journalist, Charlie Dibbons Cameraman, Melanie Julian Head of Office Andrei Guimarich The developer and Martin Roy coordinator
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