Quebec officially returns above the symbolic threshold of 300 hospitalizations on Wednesday, while the strong upward trend of COVID-19 continues in the province with 2,386 new cases and four additional deaths. During this time, however, vaccination is gaining speed.
These 2,386 new cases bring the daily average to 1,902, a trend which is indeed up 47% over one week. The four additional deaths bring the daily average to four. The trend has been on the rise for a week.
In the health network, there is a further increase of 16 hospitalizations, which translates into 37 new admissions and 21 discharges. At present, 309 patients remain hospitalized in connection with the virus, of which 73 are still in intensive care, a decrease of two people in 24 hours in this chapter.
Over seven days, the number of people hospitalized has also increased by 28%. This increase is 24% in intensive care. However, the province still has a good margin; the number of dedicated COVID-19 beds in Quebec hospitals is estimated at around 800.
Cases are increasing particularly rapidly in fully vaccinated people. These report an average of 949 new cases per day, up 67% over one week. In comparison, the unvaccinated report an average of 910 new cases per day, up 29% over one week. On the other hand, the data show that the unvaccinated remain significantly more at risk. Quebec has observed a rate of 571 new cases per million unvaccinated, compared to 143 per million fully vaccinated. The unvaccinated are also at greater risk of complications. There is an average of 16.4 hospitalizations per day of unvaccinated, against 15.9 among fully vaccinated. Taking into account their weight in the population, the hospitalization rate is thus 10.3 per million unvaccinated against 2.4 per million fully vaccinated.
Estrie and Chaudière-Appalaches are the two most affected regions at present, both posting 36 new cases per 100,000 inhabitants. Laval follows with 29 cases per 100,000 inhabitants, then Montreal, the Laurentians and Mauricie with 25 cases per 100,000 inhabitants. In comparison, the Capitale-Nationale is less affected, but it still displays 13 new cases per 100,000 inhabitants, more than the red alert threshold. The increase in hospitalizations is mainly felt in Estrie.
Focus on vaccination
On the vaccination side, the pace of the campaign seems to be accelerating. Authorities administered nearly 46,800 additional doses on Tuesday, in addition to more than 2,180 vaccines given before December 14 that had not yet been counted. This is a significantly higher figure than the last few days. Including people vaccinated outside the province, more than 14.3 million doses have so far been given to Quebecers.
To date, 45% of young people aged 5 to 11 have received their first dose of the vaccine, while 7% of them are currently awaiting their appointment. In the general population, 83.5% of Quebecers have received at least one dose, while 78.3% are adequately vaccinated.
On Monday, Public Health carried out 40,646 screening tests, a figure that remains relatively stable compared to the weekly average.
In Quebec, Prime Minister François Legault said Wednesday that he no longer closes the door to a revision of health instructions for the Holidays, if the projections in terms of hospitalizations were to darken. He warned that “nothing should be ruled out for the next few days”, given the sharp rise in the number of COVID-19 cases and the threat of the Omicron variant. Tuesday, the Minister of Health, Christian Dubé, once again asked employers to favor teleworking until further notice, as a preventive measure.