Quebec records a sharp drop in hospitalizations related to COVID-19, despite a high number of deaths.
Posted at 12:52 p.m.
The province reported a drop of 76 hospitalizations on Monday. The 1,686 people currently hospitalized represent a decrease of 9% over one week. Of these, 574 patients were hospitalized directly due to their COVID-19 infection, the others having been admitted for another reason. In intensive care, the 38 patients represent a drop of 32% over one week.
The number of people in hospital is expected to continue to decline over the next few days, with discharges outpacing admissions. On average, there are 25 fewer patients every day.
Although the toll in hospitals is improving, the number of deaths remains high. The 12 deaths reported over the weekend, including two new ones on Monday, bring the daily average calculated over seven days to 11. The trend is up 41% over one week.
The spreading down speed
This decrease in hospitalizations is part of a decrease in the spread of COVID-19. The 520 new cases by PCR tests reported on Monday bring the daily average to 738. The trend is thus down 10% over one week. These numbers likely reflect only a portion of total infections, due to limited access to PCR testing. 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, 677 people also reported over the weekend having tested positive on a rapid test. Self-reported cases, which are not included in daily reported cases, are stable over a week.
In hospitals, the number of absent workers due to the pandemic is decreasing. Monday, there were 3,059 absences in the health network, or 7% less than a week ago.
Vaccination decreases
Meanwhile, the pace of the vaccination campaign continues to slow. Quebec administers an average of 16,300 doses per day, or 10% less than last week.
Taking into account the fact that Public Health recommends getting vaccinated after five months, 24.6% of Quebecers currently have their vaccinations up to date. This represents an increase of 0.9 points over the past week.
