Upward trend of COVID-19 continues in Quebec. The province reported 18 deaths and 895 new cases on Wednesday.
Posted at 11:14 am
Pierre-André Normandin The press
The 18 new deaths reported on Wednesday bring the seven-day daily average to 7. The trend is up 18% over a week.
That 18 death toll is largely due to a delay in data entry. In fact, one of the deaths reported Wednesday actually occurred in February, while seven date back to April and six to May.
The 895 new cases reported on Wednesday bring the daily average to 669. So the trend is up 18% in a week. These numbers likely reflect only a portion of total infections due to limited access to PCR testing. In addition, the proportion of PCR screening tests that are positive for COVID-19 remains high at 8.9%.
In addition to the cases detected by PCR tests, 544 people who tested positive for a rapid test have also come forward in the last few days. Self-reported cases, which are not included in daily reported cases, have increased by 20% over the past week.
The increase in cases is currently being felt primarily among 40 to 59 year olds. The increase is also concentrated in more remote regions, including Nord-du-Québec, Côte-Nord and Gaspésie.
Quebec also reported a drop of eight hospitalizations on Wednesday. The 1008 people currently hospitalized represent a stable trend for one week. In the ICU, the 22 patients represent a 12% decrease in one week.
The number of hospitalizations is expected to remain the same over the next few days, with the number of discharges corresponding to the number of admissions.
