Quebec has crossed the threshold of 16,000 deaths attributed to COVID-19 since the start of the pandemic. The peak of the seventh wave having probably been crossed, the trend of cases, hospitalizations and deaths is currently downward.
Posted at 11:37 a.m.
The 18 new deaths reported on Thursday bring the daily average calculated over seven days to 12. The trend is down 15% over one week.
To date, 16,010 people have died from COVID-19, mostly people aged 60 and over.
Quebec also reports a decrease of 10 hospitalizations on Thursday. The 2,136 people currently hospitalized represent a decrease of 4% over one week. In intensive care, the 67 patients represent a drop of 3% over one week.
The number of people hospitalized is likely to decrease over the next few days, with the number of discharges exceeding admissions. On average, there are 12 fewer patients every day.
The pressure exerted by COVID-19 on the hospital network continues to ease. The number of workers absent due to the pandemic stood at 5,049 on Thursday, down 23% over one week.
The 1,389 new cases reported on Thursday bring the daily average to 1,274. The trend is thus down 21% 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 11.3%.
In addition to the cases detected by PCR tests, 505 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, are down 34% over the past week.
The vaccination campaign continues to slow down. Quebec administers an average of 8,400 doses per day. Eligible for vaccination for just over a week, toddlers are particularly few to receive a dose. They are about 500 a day to raise the sleeve. To date, 5,200 have been vaccinated, or 1.2% of this age group.
To date, 83.6% of Quebecers have received two doses, but only 53% have had three and 17.3% have received four.
