(Lac-Mégantic) Prime Minister François Legault downplayed the seriousness of the sixth wave currently hitting Quebec on Thursday.
Posted at 4:06 p.m.
Updated at 4:40 p.m.
He is not overly worried about the 2,154 hospitalizations recorded on Thursday and says he is monitoring the situation daily.
In a morning press scrum in parliament, its Minister of Health, Christian Dubé, said Quebec was entering a “critical” phase over the next two weeks and called on Quebecers to be careful, because of the outbreak. cases of influenza which overloads the emergency room, in addition to cases of coronavirus.
Voices are being raised, particularly in the opposition parties, to ask the government to further relay the messages and instructions of public health in this sixth wave.
According to the opposition, the government is desperately trying to turn the page when the pandemic is not even over.
Mr. Legault does not digest this criticism. He recalled that he was once criticized for always being at the side of the director of public health who could not hold separate press activities.
“I have difficulty following the opposition,” he said on the sidelines of an economic announcement in a factory in Lac-Mégantic.
The Prime Minister also tried to be reassuring and to temper concerns about the sixth wave.
He pointed out that half of the hospitalized cases linked to COVID are in fact patients admitted for another health problem, but who also happen to have COVID.
He also said the situation was “under control” in intensive care units.
Finally, he says he is reassured by the fact that the vaccination rate is very high among the most vulnerable people aged 60 and over.
In the morning, the Parti québécois (PQ) criticized the government for having gone from one extreme to the other, between the start of the pandemic two years ago and today.
“The government does not want to impose rules because it is unpopular,” said PQ parliamentary leader Joël Arseneau. He doesn’t talk about it anymore. It went from one end of the spectrum, where it controlled our lives, to the other end of the spectrum, where it is the most complete laissez-faire. »
According to Manon Massé, of Québec solidaire (QS), the government has “given up”, when, however, we must continue to respect health measures to support the health system which is out of breath.
“The government says: we have to learn to live with the virus. But he acts as if he no longer exists. That’s not a good attitude. »