Health Minister Christian Dube is imploring Quebecers to limit their social contacts as COVID-19 infections and hospitalizations continue to rise.
COVID-related hospitalizations in Quebec have risen 50 per cent in the past three weeks, for a total of 1,011. The number of patients in intensive care rose by seven compared with Thursday, to 141.
Dube said today in a statement that Quebecers need to make an effort to lessen the burden on the health-care network by reducing their contacts, despite the upcoming holidays.
Quebec reported 1,773 new COVID-19 cases today and 36 more deaths attributed to the novel coronavirus, five of which occurred in the past 24 hours.
A government-funded health institute said today that despite the surge in hospitalizations, the province should not exceed its COVID-dedicated hospital capacity over the next four weeks.
But the Institut national d’excellence en sante et en services sociaux says it cannot rule out that the number of COVID patients won’t exceed dedicated capacity in less-populated regions. The institute says two-thirds of the COVID-dedicated beds in outlying regions are occupied.
The province also reported 1,866 more recoveries today for a total 147,398 since the beginning of the pandemic. Quebec has reported a total of 172,801 cases and 7,671 deaths linked to the virus.
Health authorities say they inoculated another 896 people for a total of 3,305 since the province’s vaccination campaign began on Monday.
Dube and Dr. Horacio Arruda, the province’s public health chief, are scheduled to hold a news conference in Montreal later today.
