Quebec COVID hospitalizations rise above 2,000, health minister to hold briefing – Montreal

Quebec health officials are set to provide an update on COVID-19 in the province in a Wednesday conference.

Minister of Health Christian Dubé will meet Wednesday at 1:00 p.m. in Montreal with the National Director of Public Health, Dr. Luc Boileau.

On Tuesday, Quebec authorities reported no new deaths linked to COVID-19 and hospitalizations have remained stable since the end of last week.

As of Monday, there were 1,823 hospitalizations linked to the virus, including 522 hospitalized because of COVID-19 complications — a drop of six patients compared to the data released last Friday.

On the other hand, the absences of health professionals due to infection have dropped since Friday, standing at 3,376, a decrease of 578.

Two weeks ago, Boileau felt it was still too early to talk about a new wave of COVID-19 infections.

The national director of public health also said the proportion of adult Quebecers who were considered to be up to date with their vaccines, having one dose administered for less than five months, was only 22 per cent.

He explained that younger Quebecers felt the need to be vaccinated less, but that it was still important that the most vulnerable people be adequately vaccinated.

Since the start of the pandemic, 16,845 Quebecers have died from COVID-19.

Moreover, the vaccination campaign against influenza has been underway since Oct. 5 in Quebec. By making an appointment for this vaccine, takers will also be able to reserve a dose of the new bivalent vaccine against COVID-19.

Boileau also reminded Quebecers that influenza is a serious disease, an infection of the respiratory tract that can be transmitted very easily.

The free influenza vaccination campaign specifically targets babies under six months old, pregnant women, people over 75, as well as adults and children with certain chronic diseases. Healthcare workers are also encouraged to receive it.

— With files from Global News’ Karla Renic. 

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