The pressure is decreasing on the health network, but remains critical on the paramedics in Montreal and Laval. With about fifteen fewer ambulances, Urgences-santé urges the population to only call 911 in the event of immediate danger to life.
Updated at 0:09
Saturday, 15 ambulances were absent from the roads of Montreal and Laval due to the lack of personnel. This network normally runs at 90 ambulances.
“We’re down to 75 ambulances, that’s for sure. It comes to create an overload on the rest [du réseau] “, reports Urgences-santé spokesperson Stéphane Smith.
The shortage of personnel was already a problem in the paramedical sector. It becomes striking with the Omicron variant. About 30 employees are currently absent in connection with the virus.
To compensate for absences, paramedics are called upon to work overtime. Calls are also prioritized, which delays less urgent cases such as patient transfers between health facilities.
What harms us more is that after two years of pandemic, the [paramédicaux] are tired. It becomes difficult for them.
Stéphane Smith, spokesperson for Urgences-santé
He himself had left his administrative duties this weekend to hit the road and lend a hand to his colleagues.
Urgences-santé asks the public to dial 911 only for life-threatening situations. Citizens are encouraged to make their own way to the hospital whenever possible and to call 811 for health-related questions.
Decreasing hospitalizations
Public Health reported on Saturday a further drop of 71 in the number of occupied beds in connection with COVID-19. This decrease translates into 144 new entries and 215 exits. However, 2,143 people with COVID-19 remain hospitalized. In intensive care, that number is 153. This is a decrease of 11 from the previous day.
The 2,143 people hospitalized represent a drop of 13% over one week. The decrease in intensive care over one week is 16%.
The 28 additional deaths bring the daily average calculated over a week to 33 deaths per day. The trend is thus down 16% over seven days.
The 2359 new cases bring the daily average calculated over a week to 2655 cases per day. The trend is thus down 15% over one week. Limitations on screening, however, make these data less representative.
The seven-day average of new cases stands at 2,655, down more than 14% from last Saturday.
The number of active outbreaks decreased from 1134 to 1130.
In all, 20,736 analyzes were carried out on Friday. The positivity rate remained at 11%.
Vaccination in slow motion
The vaccination campaign continues to slow rapidly. Quebec currently administers just under 32,000 doses per day on average, far from the 100,000 threshold reached in mid-January.
There are still about half a million adult Quebecers who have not received any vaccine. On average, just 660 adults continue to show up daily for their first dose of vaccine.
The fact remains that 93% of Quebecers aged 18 and over have taken up the challenge at least once since the start of the vaccination campaign. Of the population as a whole, 86% received at least one dose, 82% had two and 46% had their booster dose.
With Mayssa Ferah and Pierre-André Normandin, The Pressand The Canadian Press