As hospitalizations related to COVID-19 increase day by day, the acting national director of public health, Dr.r Luc Boileau, affirms that there could be load shedding, especially since 13,000 infected people are now absent from the health network.
Posted at 10:48 a.m.
Updated at 12:12 p.m.
The sixth wave that is sweeping through Quebec should not experience an upturn for two weeks, he said, as part of a virtual press briefing to take stock of the pandemic, in the company of Marie- France Raynault, Senior Strategic Medical Advisor, and microbiologist Jean Longtin.
That said, there is no question of adding “sanitary measures which will force people”, declared the Dr Boileau, insisting on the importance of adopting “responsible” behavior, especially as the long Easter weekend approaches.
“We consulted several teams of experts who are unanimous in saying that in light of the most recent data, the upward trend in the number of hospitalizations could probably continue for another two weeks,” he said.
It was the second time this week that the acting national director of public health addressed Quebecers to provide an update on the pandemic.
On Wednesday, after a stormy passage before the parliamentarians responsible for studying Bill 28, he declared at a press conference: “we will kill people” if Quebec removes all protective measures against COVID-19. An “unfortunate” statement on which he returned on Friday.
“I regret using those words. They were inappropriate and I apologize for that,” he said.
Quebec reported 3,572 new cases and 30 additional deaths on Friday. In all, 1,637 people were hospitalized in connection with COVID-19, or 55 more than the day before.