Alors que nous entrons dans la troisième année de la crise sanitaire, il est devenu évident que certains mots ou expressions ne sont plus utilisés au Québec pour parler de la pandémie. Dans cette enfilade pas si sérieuse, je discuterai de ces mots oubliés.
J'ai décidé de choisir des mots ou des expressions en français uniquement parce que, 1) je vis et travaille au Québec et 2), ces termes semblent plus colorés, même poétiques, dans la langue de Molière.
Je voudrais remercier tous ceux qui ont contribué à cette enfilade psycholinguistique avec leurs suggestions. Je me concentre sur les expressions ou les mots discontinus, pas sur ceux encore utilisés que nous détestons, comme « la lumière au bout du tunnel. »
Alors sans plus tarder, voici ma liste des huit meilleurs. Numéro huit : « aplatir la courbe. » Franchement, après cinq vagues au Québec, cette expression est devenue complètement inutile. Est-ce que quelqu'un sait plus ce que cela signifie?
Numéro sept : « Nettoyez toutes les surfaces. » C'était le conseil donné très tôt dans la pandémie. Même le Dr Sanjay Gupta du CNN nous montrait comment laver nos épiceries. Voici ma confession : je n'ai jamais lavé mes épiceries.
Numéro six : « distanciation sociale. » Les autorités nous ont exhortés à le faire constamment dans les deux premières vagues. Certains d'entre nous peuvent encore le faire, mais utilisons-nous toujours cette expression ? J'en doute.
Numéro cinq : « Tartelettes portugaises. » Tout le monde sait que c'est le désert préféré du Dr Arruda, mais le bon docteur n'est plus le chef de la santé publique et personne ne parle plus de cette friandise dans le contexte de la pandémie.
Numéro quatre : « Défi 28 jours. » C'est le ministre de la Santé Christian Dubé qui a prononcé ces mots d'espoir en septembre 2020 en réponse à une suggestion d'un journaliste. Mais 700 jours plus tard, le défi est devenu un fardeau insupportable pour de nombreuses personnes.
Numéro trois : « Graduellement. » Je ne me souviens pas du nombre de fois que le premier ministre François Legault a prononcé ce mot, mais quand il l'a fait, il l'a prononcé très lentement. Il l'a depuis remplacé par «mollo. »
Numéro deux : « Les infirmières sont nos anges gardiens. » Si tel est le cas, pourquoi certaines infirmières attendent-elles toujours d'être payées des milliers de dollars par le gouvernement provincial?
Et enfin, numéro un : "Ça va bien aller." Cette expression, avec son arc-en-ciel qui l'accompagne, est rapidement tombée en disgrâce après la tragédie de la Résidence Herron. Fin d'enfilade.
12) Addendum: There's one expression in English that the people of Ontario are not using much these days, either: "Iron Ring," which now has a hollow ring to it after the deaths of so many in long-term care.
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1) On Tuesday, the Quebec government unveiled its 2024-2025 budget, with the biggest expenditure to be made on health and social services. In this Twitter thread, I assess whether this "Health/Education Priorities" budget lives up to its hype, especially when it comes to seniors.
2) As you can see from the chart below, the lion's share of spending in the budget is for health and social services, pegged at $61.9 billion — up by 4.17% from the year before. In contrast, spending on education — so vital to Quebec's future — will rise 9.35% to $22.3 billion.
3) But as far as health and social services is concerned, Tuesday's budget may be indulging in a bit of spin. The chart below states that Quebec will spend an extra $3.7 billion over the next five years to "support a humane and effective organization of health care."
1) "The pandemic is far from over," one of the preeminent experts on #COVID19, Dr. Eric Topol, declared today, Jan. 4, 2024 — three years after the world first learned of a novel virus that was killing people in China. In this thread, I take stock of what's going on in Quebec.
2) "The pandemic is far from over, as evidenced by the rapid rise to global dominance of the JN.1 variant of SARS-CoV-2," Topol noted in a Los Angeles Times op-ed. In Quebec, nearly one in two genetic samples collected was from JN.1 as of two weeks ago. It's likely higher now.
3) "Clearly this virus variant, with its plethora of new mutations, has continued its evolution ... for infecting or reinfecting us," Topol added. Although the updated booster is considered 60% protective against hospitalization, only 17% of the Quebec population has taken it.
1) BREAKING: By every major indicator, Quebec's health-care system is now arguably the worst it's ever been. Please click on my story below on Quebec wait lists for cancer and other surgery setting record highs — again. via @mtlgazettemontrealgazette.com/news/local-new…
2) Although Quebec has made it a priority to tackle wait lists for cancer surgery, more than 4,400 oncology patients are still waiting for their operations. More than 600 are waiting longer than the medically acceptable delay of 57 days, potentially putting their health at risk.
3) Even the wait list for so-called non-urgent surgery has now swelled to nearly 164,000 people. Almost 14,000 Quebecers today have been waiting more than a year for their surgery. At a year's wait, a non-urgent surgery starts to become urgent.
1) BREAKING: Quebec, like other jurisdictions across North America, is now in the midst of a new #COVID19 resurgence — nearly 4 years into the #pandemic. In this thread, I will assess the implications of this latest wave of infections, likely driven by a new SARS-CoV-2 variant.
2) On Dec. 5, Quebec declared a total of 2,214 hospitalizations with and for #COVID. Please note this increase also reflects a change in the way Quebec's public health institute has been compiling such hospitalizations. But make no mistake: Quebec is still facing a resurgence.
3) The United States is also facing a #COVID hospitalizations resurgence, with 20,000 new admissions per week, according to preeminent expert @EricTopol. In the U.S., the JN.1 variant is becoming dominant, with wastewater levels surging with SARS-CoV-2. See Topol's tweet below.
1) BREAKING: Jewish-owned businesses in Montreal are being targeted and vandalized with antisemitic profanity. Please click below to read my report.
via @mtlgazettemontrealgazette.com/news/local-new…
2) "Last weekend, they put swastikas on the … menus downtown and they wrote FUCK THE JEWS," a Jewish business owner told me. I have also seen a list of Jewish businesses that is circulating, provoking not only boycotts but vandalism.
3) The Gazette has decided not to publish these disturbing images, as the Jewish business owners are fearful of reprisals.
1) BREAKING: A month after Japan downgraded #COVID19 to the seasonal flu, the country is now beset with a 9th wave of infections. In this thread, I will explore the persistence of the #pandemic that everyone — especially politicians — wants to forget.
2) First, it's worth noting that the number of #COVID hospitalizations in the nation of 125 million rose to 4,330 from 4,122 a week before. The seven-day average for the number of patients in intensive care units was 79, according to the Japan Times.
3) It appears that XBB subtypes of the SARS-CoV-2 virus are driving the latest wave of infections in Japan. Meanwhile, China has recorded a more than five-fold surge in the number of people diagnosed with COVID in hospitals since April. China is also bracing for another wave.