Infectious disease

The Evaluation collection assembles under a single banner an array of scientific productions that rely on varied evaluative methodological approaches to focus on situations, cases, or specific subjects.

At the beginning of the COVID-19 vaccination campaign, results from clinical studies showed that two doses of vaccine provided excellent protection against disease and hospitalization due to COVID-19. However, the large epidemic wave caused by the arrival of the Omicron variant in late 2021 led to a broad recommendation to administer a booster dose to all adults. This outbreak highlighted the reduced performance of the vaccines in preventing symptomatic COVID-19, while demonstrating that…

In the context of the community transmission of SARS-CoV-2 and the presence of residents of seniors’ residential and long-term care centres (CHSLDs) in hemodialysis clinics, what are the recommendations to apply when managing dialysis users in ambulatory hemodialysis units?

This document is intended for managers and clinical personnel involved in medical device reprocessing (MDR).

Its purpose is to describe the guidelines to be followed for the overall process of collecting, disinfecting and storing single-use N95 FFRs in order to:

This document is intended for decision makers, managers and clinical personnel involved in medical device reprocessing (MDR). It presents the technologies approved by Health Canada in the COVID-19 context as well as a promising - although as yet unauthorized - option for disinfecting N95 FFRs.

The present document analyzes current knowledge about available disinfection options for N95 FFRs and puts into perspective the advantages and limitations of each disinfection process identified. The authorizations that have been issued by Health Canada are also specified. Finally, the recommendations of the CERDM are presented.

The Ministère de la Santé et des Services sociaux (MSSS) recently asked the CIQ to issue an opinion on the target interval before administration of the second dose, and important considerations to be taken into account for decision-making. The purpose of this opinion is to answer this question through an analysis of the most recent data on COVID-19 vaccine effectiveness from Quebec and abroad.

These recommendations apply to aerosol-generating medical procedures (AGMPs) carried out on suspected or confirmed COVID-19 cases. In contexts of sustained community transmission, a risk assessment must be carried out to determine whether these recommendations shall also apply during AGMPs on individuals who are asymptomatic or have unknown COVID-19 status.

(See Section 4: AGMP management for patients determined to be at no risk of having COVID-19 [ “cold patients”])

A table…

Recently, various strategies have been recommended in a number of jurisdictions regarding the time interval between the two doses of COVID-19 vaccines. The Ministère de la Santé et des Services sociaux (MSSS) has asked the Comité sur l'immunisation du Québec (CIQ) to explain the basis of these different intervals. The MSSS also inquired whether the CIQ has maintained the recommendations that it put forward in a recent scientific notice, in particular, the recommendation to offer an initial…

The number of cases, hospitalizations, and deaths due to COVID-19 have been increasing in Quebec since August 2020. In addition to the suffering of those infected and their friends and family, caring for patients and their contacts creates a significant burden for healthcare workers, who are frequently infected, threatening the integrity of our healthcare system. The way the pandemic develops in the coming months will depend on the population’s compliance with the recommendations to…