New cases of COVID-19 continue their upward trend, as Quebec reports 480 on Monday. A death is also added to the balance sheet.
Posted at 11:16 a.m.
Updated at 11:49 a.m.
The 480 new cases reported on Monday bring the daily average to 643. The trend is thus up 17% over one week. It has now been two weeks since COVID-19 cases started to rise again.
However, these figures probably only reflect a part of total infections, due to limited access to PCR screening tests. Moreover, the proportion of PCR screening tests proving positive for COVID-19 remains high, at 7.7%.
In addition to the cases detected by PCR tests, 1,203 people also reported over the weekend having tested positive on a rapid test. Self-reported cases, which are not included in daily reported cases, have increased by 20% over the past week.
The increase in cases is felt in the majority of age groups. However, the increase is more marked among people aged 30 to 59.
As has been the case since the start of 2022, the increase in cases is mainly seen in regions further away from major centres. Thus, Nord-du-Québec and the Côte-Nord are currently showing the highest rates of spread. Gaspésie and Bas-Saint-Laurent are also on the rise. In addition, the PCR test positivity rate in these regions is high.
The additional death reported on Monday brings the daily average calculated over seven days to six. The trend is thus stable over a week.
Hospitalization data is not available on Monday and will be released on Tuesday.
Decline in vaccination
The vaccination campaign continues to slow down. Quebec administers an average of 4,800 doses per day, down 11% over one week. To date, 83.5% of Quebecers have received two doses, but only 52.3% have had three and 13.7% have received four.
