MONTREAL Quebec s decision to delay the second dose of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine this week to inoculate as many people as possible with a first dose is causing concern for some health-care professionals working on the front lines. The Ministry of Health said Dec. 31 that it would not hold back doses for the second booster shot for those who have already received a first shot. Note that the effectiveness of the first dose, 14 days after administration, is over 90 per cent for both vaccines (Pfizer and Moderna), Quebec said. The second remains important, mainly to ensure long-term protection. It should be administered within the time limits prescribed by public health in order to ensure maximum immunization coverage. The appointments of people already vaccinated to receive their 2nd dose will be adjusted accordingly.
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More than half of the Montreal region’s hospital beds set aside for the pandemic are currently occupied by COVID-19 patients and their capacity risks being exceeded by Jan. 12, according to the latest projections by a government health institute.
At the same time, Montreal health workers are upset hospitals are forcing many staff to work longer shifts and more days, even though they’re exhausted and desperately in need of some time off.
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MONTREAL Nurses in Montreal’s emergency rooms are being asked to cancel their vacations in response to staff shortages in hospitals. In an internal memo obtained by CTV News, emergency room (ER) staff at the Lakeshore General Hospital were asked to either make themselves more available over the holidays or cancel their vacations. According to the memo, if staff did not decide on one of those options, a choice would be made for them. “In order to maintain minimally adequate and safe coverage during this period, we have no choice but to take certain measures,” read the memo. A staff member, who preferred to stay anonymous, said the staff shortage was the “result of a chronically mismanaged ER.”