There is a first case in the United States of this mysterious virus which has killed six people and infected more than 300 people in Asia. Is Quebec ready to face it?
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“Public Health has done the work in the last days, all emergency departments, all emergency doctors have received missives,” says Dr. Gilbert Boucher, president of the Association of Specialists in Emergency Medicine of Quebec.
“The triage protocols have been updated so that we can quickly isolate them and protect caregivers,” he adds.
Dr. Boucher draws a parallel with a virus from Asia which caused fear to the authorities in 2015 and 2016.
“Public Health has reactivated these protocols. Most emergencies by the end of the week should be fully operational, “he said.
A patient with flu symptoms will have to answer a series of questions within the first few minutes of arriving at the emergency room.
“Do you have a fever and cough? Have you traveled outside of Canada, the United States, Europe? Have you been to China or Singapore? Here we go to the last question, do you have respiratory symptoms? If you say yes, we will sort you out, we will isolate you, ”specifies Dr. Boucher.
According to him, the main problem to be faced is emergency congestion. It may be difficult to place patients potentially infected with this virus in isolation.
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