Quebec reported 54 new deaths attributed to COVID-19 on Wednesday, the majority of which occurred more than a week ago. The number of hospitalizations is also rebounding.
The 54 deaths reported on Wednesday bring the daily average calculated over seven days to 15. The trend is up 52% over one week. This heavy balance sheet seems due to a statistical catch-up. Indeed, 50 of them occurred more than a week ago.
The province also reported an increase of 42 hospitalizations on Wednesday. The 1,726 people currently hospitalized represent a drop of 6% over one week. Of these, 593 patients were hospitalized directly due to their COVID-19 infection, the others having been admitted for another reason. In intensive care, the 39 patients represent a drop of 5% 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 16 fewer patients every day.
The 1037 new cases by PCR tests reported on Wednesday bring the daily average to 742. The trend remains down 8% over one week. These numbers likely reflect only a portion of total infections, due to limited access to PCR testing. Moreover, the proportion of PCR screening tests proving positive for COVID-19 remains high, at 9.9%.
In addition to the cases detected by PCR tests, 243 people also reported over the weekend having tested positive on a rapid test. Self-reported cases, which are not included in daily reported cases, decreased by 11% over one week.
In hospitals, the number of workers absent due to the pandemic is falling. On Wednesday, there were 3,428 absences in the health network, or 6% less than a week ago.
