COVID-19 symptoms may include:

• Cough
• Fever
• Extreme fatigue
• Sudden loss of sense of smell
• Difficulty breathing

If you have symptoms, STAY AT HOME.

• Apply hygienic and preventive measures to minimize contamination :
  • Wash your hands frequently;
  • Avoid touching your face, your eyes, your nose or your mouth;
  • Cough or sneeze in the crook of your elbow or into a tissue instead of your hands;
  • Clean the surfaces that you touch most often: door handles, faucets, telephone, etc.

We encourage you to consult the government of Quebec's Self-Care Guide :

• If you have questions or worries, you can contact the COVID-19 hotline available in your region:   
  

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Quebec
​418-644-4545

Montreal
​514-644-4545 

Montérégie
 450-644-4545  

Outaouais
​819-644-4545

​1-877-644-4545 (toll free)

GO TO THE HOSPITAL IF you have symptoms such as:

• Difficulty breathing;
• Shortness of breath;
• Chest pain or persistent pressure in your chest;
• Confusion;
• Unusual sleepiness;
• Blue lips.

Do not forget to bring with you:

• A recent list of your medications;
• The letter explaining your need for ventilatory assistance and detailing your ventilatory settings;
• Your ventilatory equipment;
• Your cough-assist device, if you have one;
• Your PNAVD patient’s binder.

The government has published a fact sheet to help you make the optimal decision for you and your close friends and family with respect to any symptoms noticed: 

Source: Self-Care Guide, page 23; Direction des communication du ministère de la Santé et des Services Sociaux; Bibliothèque et Archives nationales du Québec, 2020; ISBN: 978-2-550-86392-2 (PDF). 
 
For general information concerning the COVID-19:
https://www.quebec.ca/en/health/health-issues/a-z/general-information-about-coronavirus/
 
To keep up with the most recent developments:
https://www.quebec.ca/en/health/health-issues/a-z/2019-coronavirus/
 
 
Levels of care and Advance Medical Directives
 
It is important to think about the level of care you wish to receive if your health status should deteriorate in an important way and that you wouldn’t be able to express your choices.

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Levels of care
Discuss with your family about the care you wish or wish not to receive in case of an acute respiratory distress or cardiopulmonary arrest.
 
In the COVID-19 context, ventilatory assistance with a mask is sometimes not efficient to maintain adequate breathing. Many patients require “intubation”, meaning a tube must be inserted into their throat, down to their lungs and be connected to a ventilator to help them breathe.
 
If you are hospitalized, physicians will discuss the levels of care with you.
 
At all times, make sure that your family is informed and understands your wishes so that they are respected if your health status should deteriorate.
 
For more information concerning the levels of care:
https://www.inesss.qc.ca/fileadmin/doc/INESSS/Rapports/OrganisationsSoins/Depliant_niveaux-de-soins_ENG_20170111.pdf
 
Advance Medical Directives
The advance medical directives are similar to the levels of care. However, it is an official form issued in your name by the “ministère de la Santé et des Services Sociaux” and kept in a record accessible to all physicians.
 
If a situation prevents you from expressing your wishes, this document will dictate the course of action your physician should take. Your family will have no power to modify your wishes.
 
For more information concerning the advance medical directives:
https://www.quebec.ca/en/health/health-system-and-services/end-of-life-care/advance-medical-directives/