The end of the mask mandate in Quebec as of May 14, 2022, for me, means a suddenly more dangerous world. I am mainly concerned about two things. First, I am one of the populations at risk of developing a severe form of Covid 19. Secondly, if I develop covid and get a call to tell me that they have found a kidney compatible with me from a cadaveric donor, I will have to skip my turn.
I thought I would explain to you why I am concerned about this, to give the point of view of someone who is part of the vulnerable populations. For healthy people, this measure means another step towards the end of this pandemic. For people at risk, it’s a whole different story.
- While waiting for a transplant, what happens if I get covid?
- Who are the vulnerable people
- Keep your good reflexes to reduce risks
- What to do if you are one of the vulnerable people
While waiting for a transplant, what happens if I get covid?
The first time in March they talked about removing the mask, I asked my transplant nurse what I needed to know if I was getting covid.
If I get covid, I have to call them to be temporarily removed from the cadaveric donor waiting list. Indeed, if I have a flu, an infection or anything but a small cold, I must be removed from the list until the antibiotics are cured and antibiotics are over, if there are any. I have to be as healthy as possible for the transplant to go well, and they can’t take a chance!
Just that, it’s a good reason to be careful not to knock it! Damn it would be silly to miss my chance because I didn’t put on a mask once! I do not intend to delay the beginning of the creation of my family by one second more than necessary!
Who are the vulnerable people?
In Quebec, we talk about “people with one or more chronic diseases as well as those with a weakened immune system”. These people “are at high risk of complications (hospitalization, admission to intensive care and death) as a result of COVID-19 infection. 1 »
More precise list found on the same page of the Government of Quebec:
Here is a list of chronic diseases and health conditions that may increase the risk of developing serious complications from COVID-19:
- the following chronic diseases:
- disorder of the heart or lungs,
- diabetes
- liver disorder (including cirrhosis) or kidneys
- high blood pressure;
- obesity;
- medical condition leading to a decrease in the evacuation of respiratory secretions or the risk of aspiration;
- someone undergoing chemotherapy or radiation therapy;
- person being transplanted (including bone marrow transplantation);
- a person who is taking corticosteroids;
- a person taking immunosuppressants;
- a person with immunodeficiency;
- people living with HIV;
- a person with anemia.
The presence of many of these factors, as well as advanced age, leads to a higher risk of developing a severe form of the disease. In addition, people whose condition requires regular medical follow-up or hospital care are considered the most vulnerable.
That’s a lot of people to protect!
As you can imagine, many people are included in that! In 2019, the Institut national de santé publique du Québec (INSPQ) said that one in 5 people suffers from at least two chronic diseases in Quebec.2. We are therefore talking about more than 20% of Quebecers who are at risk of developing a severe form of covid. That’s not to mention the almost random risk that a perfectly healthy person will have the misfortune to suffer from serious symptoms (we know someone in full health who is our age and who has died from it…). And that’s not to mention the long covid.
With an average in Quebec of 20 deaths per day in the last 7 days, the situation is visibly still serious. I don’t know why some people say that 20 people is not a lot. Imagine 20 of your friends and family members. Think about their plans, their dreams, their laugh. Imagine they die.
Well, 20 people like them die every day in Quebec.
I know it sounds alarmist. It is certain that I live with an increased awareness of the risks, given my condition. I have always believed in the fact that prevention is better than cure. Let’s just be aware that there are more people than we think are at risk, and let’s take care of each other.
Keep your good reflexes to reduce risks
Let’s continue to wear a mask or stay home if you have symptoms. Let’s always keep a mask with us, available as needed. Let’s wash our hands frequently. And if we can, let’s keep a distance from people (minimally those we don’t know) when possible! After more than two years of pandemic, these reflexes are not hard to keep. We just have to not lose them.
Let’s make the choice to keep some of the achievements that make a lot of sense, actually! Who needs the neighbourg’s microbs!
What to do if you are one of the vulnerable people
My nurse always tells me that the best you can do if you’re at risk is to protect yourself. You can’t control the behaviors of others, but you have control over yourself.
He recommends that we keep the mask on, keep our distance from people (except for immediate family), avoid sick people, and wash our hands frequently. The same measures we were already doing, but we really have to keep them to protect ourselves!
I can live with those adjustments! It would just be so stupid to die because of something that can be prevented with a simple measure like the mask!
For the next two weeks, we plan to stay home and have our groceries delivered. Thierry and I will look at how the trend is going, and start coming out again when the cases are stabilized. We can still see people, we do not prevent ourselves from living. But it will be either at home, at their home or in a park, with a mask if we move around. We want to live as normally as possible, while protecting ourselves to avoid unnecessary risks!
See you soon, and take care of yourself 🙂
2https://ici.radio-canada.ca/nouvelle/1304495/catastrophe-maladies-chroniques-multi-morbidite-quebec-sante-hopitaux (in French)
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