After the decline observed since the beginning of 2023, the indicators used to monitor the evolution of the COVID-19 pandemic in Quebec remain stable for the time being.
On Friday, Quebec counted 1,311 people hospitalized who tested positive for COVID-19, a stable trend over one week. These figures remain well below the peak of 2,180 patients observed at the beginning of January.
Of the total patients, 477 patients were hospitalized directly due to their infection, the others having been admitted for another reason. Admissions for COVID thus show an increase of 9% over one week.
The six deaths reported on Friday bring the daily average calculated over seven days to five. Here too, the trend is stable over a week. This remains about half of the deaths that Quebec deplored daily at the start of 2023.
The 484 new cases by PCR tests reported on Friday bring the daily average to 474. The trend is thus down slightly over one week. However, these figures 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 remains high, at 8.7%.
Another indicator, the number of health network workers absent due to the pandemic continues its slow decline since the beginning of 2023. On Friday, there were 1,941 absences in hospitals, or 9% less than a week ago. .
Meanwhile, the vaccination campaign is at a standstill. Quebec administers an average of 1,400 doses per day. It is mainly people aged 60 and over who come for a booster dose.
