The spread of COVID-19 continues to increase in Quebec, increasing pressure on hospitals.
Posted at 11:14 a.m.
Updated at 11:22 a.m.
The 1,037 new cases reported on Thursday bring the daily average to 843. The trend is thus up 14% over one week. These figures likely reflect only a portion of total infections, due to limited access to PCR screening tests.
In addition to the cases detected by PCR tests, 378 people have also reported in recent days having obtained a positive result from a rapid test. Self-reported cases, which are not included in daily reported cases, have increased by 14% over the past week.
Another sign of upward spread, the number of workers absent due to the pandemic has increased. They were 3,861 Thursday to have to isolate themselves, or 5% more than last week.
This accelerated spread is already translating into increased hospital visits. Quebec reports Thursday an increase of 44 hospitalizations. The 1,663 people currently hospitalized represent an increase of 7% over one week. In intensive care, the 34 patients, on the other hand, represent a drop of 6% over one week.
The number of people in hospital is expected to increase over the next few days, with the number of admissions outpacing discharges. On average, there are 16 more patients every day.
In addition, the eight new deaths reported on Thursday bring the daily average calculated over seven days to eight. The trend is down 34% over one week.
Slight increase in vaccination
The pace of the vaccination campaign has been increasing slightly for a week. Quebec administers an average of 19,800 doses per day, or 5% more than last week.
Despite this slight increase in vaccination, the pace is insufficient to increase vaccination coverage. Taking into account the fact that Public Health recommends getting vaccinated after five months, only 20.3% of Quebecers have their vaccination up to date.
The proportion of older people who have recently received a vaccine is higher. 53% of people aged 70 and over received a dose in the past five months.
