The new subvariants BA.2.12.1, BA.4 and BA.5 are responsible for three out of four cases of COVID-19 right now in Quebec, said the national director of public health, Dr. Luc Boileau, in Wednesday press briefing.
“We are seeing an increase in cases and even hospitalizations,” said Dr. Boileau. The magnitude of this increase, linked to the new highly contagious subvariants, cannot be compared to the fifth or sixth wave, he assured. On Wednesday, Quebec recorded an increase of 34 hospitalizations, for a total of 1,260.
The rise in the number of cases should continue in the coming days, said Mr. Boileau. In this context, he invited people at higher risk to “resume wearing the mask” if they wish. The national director of public health added that this recommendation does not extend to the entire population for the moment. He estimated that we “should experience a further decline [des infections] over the next few weeks”.
To (re) see: Dr. Luc Boileau’s press briefing
The number of healthcare workers absent due to the virus is also on the rise, said Dr. Luc Boileau. “This is an element that concerns us considering the precarious situation that we live in the hospitals in the summer, he said. This is a normal period of calm and absence for vacation reasons. »
Within the next two weeks, the National Institute for Excellence in Health and Social Services (INESSS) forecasts an increase in the number of new hospitalizations to around 150 per day, as well as an increase, to around 1,500, in the number ordinary beds occupied by patients with COVID-19, says Mike Benigeri, director of the office of clinical-administrative data. But the situation remains stable in intensive care, he said.
As far as vaccines are concerned, they are always “very effective”, “even in the context of these new variants”, assured Dr. Luc Boileau.
The province reported four new deaths related to COVID-19 on Wednesday.
Further details will follow.