Quebec identified 1,460 new cases of COVID-19 on Saturday and 3 additional deaths attributable to the virus.
Posted at 2:24 p.m.
These 1,460 new cases bring the seven-day average to around 1,450 in this regard, a figure that has been rising sharply for a few weeks already. So far, there have been precisely 1,102,823 infections since the start of the pandemic.
Moreover, it should be remembered that these figures probably only reflect a part of the total infections, due to the limited access to PCR screening tests. Moreover, the proportion of PCR screening tests proving positive for COVID-19 remains high, at 14.5%.
Authorities are also reporting 3 additional deaths related to COVID-19, bringing the total to 15,666.
No other data was available on Saturday, the number of hospitalizations no longer being broadcast on weekends for a few weeks.
Surge in hospitalizations
On Friday, Quebec had nevertheless reported an increase of 15 hospitalizations. The 1,549 people hospitalized on this date represented an increase of 18% over one week. In intensive care, the 41 patients represented an increase of 8% over one week.
The number of hospitalizations has already been increasing for four weeks in the health network. And according to the most recent projections from the National Institute of Excellence in Health and Social Services (INESSS), Quebec can expect an increase in the number of hospitalizations to around 170 per day within two weeks.
What’s more, the health system must also deal with a significant shortage of personnel. There are currently more than 7,000 workers absent for reasons related to COVID-19.
On Thursday, the Minister of Health, Christian Dubé, maintained that the increase in the number of cases of COVID-19 and hospitalizations remains “under control for the moment”. No new health restrictions are envisaged, even if the national director of public health, Dr.r Luc Boileau, admitted that the province has officially entered a seventh wave.
“We are already over what we had in the fourth wave. We have more cases, more hospitalizations too, ”said the Dr Boileau, recalling that certain variants propel this new increase. “The virus is there, it is transmitted, it circulates. The pandemic is not over,” he insisted.