Faced with a deterioration in the health situation linked to COVID-19 in Quebec, the acting national director of public health, Dr. Luc Boileau, will hold a press conference on Wednesday at 1 p.m. to take stock.
On Tuesday, Quebec reported 35 new deaths linked to COVID-19 as well as a sharp increase of 145 hospitalizations, bringing the total number to 1,938. The positivity rate was measured at 16.7%.
The Ministry of Health has reported 2,596 new cases of coronavirus, a number that is not said to be representative of the situation since access to screening centers is restricted to priority clienteles.
Among Quebecers aged 5 and over, only 53% have received a 3rd dose of vaccine so far.
On Tuesday, the National Advisory Committee on Immunization (NACI) stepped up its position on this booster dose by now strongly recommending that adults aged 18 to 49 receive it. The Chief Public Health Officer of Canada, Dr. Theresa Tam, explained that a booster dose increases the effectiveness of the vaccine against the serious consequences of the disease to more than 90%.
Adolescents aged 12 to 17 who are likely to be at high risk of severe consequences from COVID-19, including those who are immunocompromised, as well as those who reside in congregate living environments, who are part of racialized communities marginalized or disproportionately affected by the virus are the subject of the same NACI recommendation.
In a press release published last Friday, the Comité sur l’immunization du Québec (CIQ) recommended that certain clienteles receive a booster dose of messenger RNA vaccine against COVID-19 three months or more after the last dose of vaccine received against COVID-19.
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