The number of hospitalizations related to COVID-19 rises in Quebec for the second time in two days, and authorities are also reporting 1,157 new infections and 16 additional deaths.
Posted at 11:21 am
Henri Ouellette-Vézina La Presse
Those 1,157 new cases bring the seven-day moving average to 1,028, a number that has been on a general downtrend for the past few weeks but has been rising slightly for some time. To date, 1,167,547 Quebecers have contracted the disease. However, these data reflect only a small fraction of overall infections, particularly due to limited access to PCR screening tests.
The proportion of PCR screening tests that are positive for the coronavirus is currently 10.3%. 16 virus-related deaths were also reported on Thursday, for a total of 16,195 deaths.
On the health network, authorities reported an increase of eight hospitalizations related to the disease on Thursday, or 159 new admissions and 151 discharges. At this time, 2011 patients are in the hospital, of which 45 are in intensive care, five fewer than the previous day (6 admissions, 11 discharges). An estimated 682 of the patients currently hospitalized in 2011 are with a primary diagnosis of COVID-19; the others were admitted for other reasons before being declared positive for the disease.
Note that the number of workers absent for reasons related to COVID-19 continues to increase. On Thursday there were 4331 who had to isolate, up from 22 in 24 hours.
Focus on vaccination
Regarding vaccination, 21,631 doses were administered on Wednesday, still mostly fourth doses. According to the VaccinTracker Quebec website, more than 87.2% of the Quebec population have received at least one dose, about 83.7% have received two, 53.15% have received three, and just over 18% have received four.
Health Minister Christian Dubé revealed on Twitter on Thursday that almost 80,000 appointments had been made since the vaccination campaign was announced on Tuesday, especially for people aged 60 and over. Recall that on Tuesday the Legault government announced a “massive vaccination campaign” against COVID-19. Vaccination will be open to people aged 60 and over from August 22, and then to the rest of the population aged 18 and over from August 29.
The proportion of third doses, however, has remained virtually unchanged for months as Quebec prepares for a new vaccination campaign ahead of a possible wave this fall.
Government officials believe the reluctance to get a booster dose is because millions of Quebecers have contracted the novel coronavirus and feel adequately protected. Health experts, meanwhile, say pandemic fatigue and government communications have also played a role.
12,994 screening tests were conducted on Tuesday, a relatively stable number compared to the weekly average. A total of 277,829 rapid tests have been reported on the government platform itself so far, including 232,573 positive. 266 tests were reported for Wednesday alone, including 229 positive tests.
With the Canadian Press