COVID continues its downward trend, with Quebec reporting a drop of 30 hospitalizations and 11 new deaths. However, the fall vaccination campaign to provide a booster dose to the majority of the population is already showing signs of running out of steam.
Posted at 11:36 a.m.
The 11 new deaths reported on Wednesday bring the daily average calculated over seven days to 14. The trend is stable over a week.
Quebec also reports a drop of 30 hospitalizations on Wednesday. The 1,777 people currently hospitalized represent a decrease of 11% over one week. In intensive care, the 42 patients represent a stable trend over one week.
The number of people in hospital is expected to continue to decline over the next few days, with discharges outpacing admissions. On average, there are 30 fewer patients every day.
The number of workers absent due to the pandemic has generally decreased for a week. They were 3692 Wednesday to have to isolate themselves, 7% less than last week.
The 908 new cases reported on Wednesday bring the daily average to 749. The trend is thus down 15% over one week. These numbers likely reflect only a portion of total infections, due to limited access to PCR testing. In addition to the cases detected by PCR tests, 318 people have also reported in recent days having obtained a positive result from a rapid test.
Vaccination is stalling
Despite the launch of the fall campaign to offer a booster dose to the majority of Quebecers, the rate of vaccination is stagnating. Quebec administers an average of 17,800 doses per day. Taking into account the fact that public health recommends getting vaccinated after five months, only 24.1% of Quebecers have their vaccination up to date. These are mainly people over the age of 70.
