(Quebec) Premier François Legault seems more optimistic than his Minister of Health and Social Services, Christian Dubé, about the evolution of the COVID-19 pandemic. “If it stays within these levels”, 1,200 cases and 239 hospitalizations, “we will be able to have a beautiful Christmas and a beautiful New Year’s Day” according to him.
He believes that the pace of vaccination for 5 to 11 year olds increases the chances of increasing the number of guests at home to 20 or 25 this holiday season.
During a press scrum Wednesday in a vaccination center in Lévis, he relativized the upward trend in the number of cases. “It’s a lot for 5-11 year olds. So once they are going to be vaccinated, we will be able to see the number of cases be reduced, ”he said. For him, “it can just improve with the vaccination of 5 to 11 years old”.
“Very few people, 239, are hospitalized. It’s really under control, ”added the Prime Minister, who qualifies this number as“ relatively low ”. According to him, there is therefore no plan to tighten up the sanitary instructions.
He pointed out that 240,000 children aged 5 to 11 have received a first dose of the vaccine or have made an appointment. This represents a proportion of 37% of this age group. “And it starts in schools. So it’s a good start, a good launch, ”he said.
This “good launch” will “help to have (vaccine) coverage in our society and it will help us to give ourselves chances that during the holiday storm we will be able to increase the number of people to 20-25. people in our homes ”.
“We are following the situation closely, day by day, the Dr Arruda will give us a recommendation. And I say it again to all Quebecers: be careful between now and Christmas so that we give ourselves the maximum chance of having partys means during the holiday season, ”he added.
In the morning, Christian Dubé called for caution and refused for the moment to support the idea of a Christmas with 25 guests.