Quebecers impatient to know whether health relief will be authorized during the holidays may have to wait until Thursday, almost two weeks before Christmas, to get the facts straight.
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According to information obtained by our Parliamentary Bureau, this is the most likely scenario currently on the table. One thing is certain, the game plan for the holidays will not be released today, our sources assured.
With the still recent arrival of the Omicron variant, the national director of public health, Horacio Arruda, has decided to give himself a few more days before deciding on what will be allowed or not at Christmas.
At the beginning of last week, Dr. Arruda warned that he was giving himself “minimally” until December 6 before making his recommendations to the government.
Private gatherings
Considering the amount of reductions made last month (relaxations for bars and restaurants, return of dancing and karaoke, etc.), the maximum number of people allowed at private gatherings remains the main issue left unresolved.
The limit of 10 people in the green zone was established last June, when 75% of Quebecers had received only one dose of vaccine. However, as of yesterday, 81% of the eligible population was doubly vaccinated.
Last week, Prime Minister François Legault publicly repeated that he would like this limit to be raised to 20 or 25 people. Faced with criticism, he had to reiterate that he would defer to Public Health.
Despite daily reports often exceeding the bar of 1000 new cases in recent days, Mr. Legault said he was encouraged by the number of hospitalizations, which remains relatively stable.
Immunization update
Health Minister Christian Dubé will still provide an update today, at 1 p.m., on the vaccination campaign in Quebec. He will be accompanied by Dr Arruda and the big boss of the operation, Daniel Paré.
The focus should be on the third dose of vaccine for new sections of the population. The booster dose offer, for adults, is likely to evolve in the same order as that observed at the start of the vaccination campaign, starting with health workers.
So far, the booster dose has been reserved for seniors aged 70 and over, immunosuppressed people and Quebecers who have received two doses of AstraZeneca, six months after the last injection.
Among children, as of yesterday, about 42% of Quebecers between the ages of 5 and 11 had received a first dose of the vaccine or were waiting for their appointment.
School vaccination has been delayed in several places due to lack of staff. However, appointment slots for children have now been offered for two weeks in mass vaccination centers.