The acceleration of the spread of COVID-19 continues to weigh down Quebec’s balance sheet. The province reported 13 additional deaths on Wednesday as well as an increase of 56 hospitalizations and 1,839 new cases.
Posted at 11:27
The 13 new deaths reported on Wednesday bring the daily average calculated over seven days to eight. Deaths have doubled in the past week.
Quebec also reports an increase of 56 hospitalizations on Wednesday. The 1,497 people currently hospitalized represent an increase of 19% over one week. In intensive care, the 40 patients represent an increase of 14% over one week.
The number of people in hospital is likely to continue to rise in the coming days, with the number of admissions outpacing discharges. On average, there are 34 more patients per day.
Sharp rise in cases
The 1,839 new cases reported on Wednesday bring the daily average to 1,324. The trend is thus up 22% over one week. These numbers likely reflect only a portion of total infections, due to limited access to PCR testing.
In addition to the cases detected by PCR tests, 1,404 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 38% over the past week.