COVID-19: Quebec breaks another daily case record, hospitalizations up more than 100
Quebec is reporting another record-breaking number of daily COVID-19 cases on Wednesday with 13,149 new infections.
Another 10 virus-related deaths in the last 24 hours brings the death toll since the start of the pandemic to 11,702.
COVID-19 hospitalizations saw another big jump with 179 new patients admitted and 77 discharged for an increase of 102. Of the 804 people in hospital, 122 are intensive for an increase of seven over the previous day.
On Tuesday, Quebec Health Minister Christian Dubé announced that health-care workers who test positive for COVID-19 would — under certain conditions and on a case-by-case basis — be allowed to continue working.
Dubé explained the exponential growth of cases stemming from the Omicron variant means many health-care workers are being removed from the workplace, either because they have tested positive, are waiting for a diagnosis or were in contact with an infected person.
As of Tuesday, 7,000 health-care workers were absent because of COVID-19, with that number expected to hit 10,000 in the coming days.
Dubé said the province had no choice but to mandate the new measure, to keep the health network operational.
“If we had the necessary staff, we wouldn’t have to put this measure in place,” he said on Tuesday. “It’s about managing risks and weighing against any inconveniences.”
Meanwhile, the push continues to get third dose booster shots into the arms of as many Quebecers as possible.
As of Wednesday, essential workers including all school staff, public security personnel, people working for community organizations that provide health and social services, as well as food inspectors and slaughterhouse staff, among others, are being prioritized for a third dose.
From Jan. 4 to Jan. 21, the province will gradually open up spots according to age group for all adults.
⚠️IMPORTANT : Voici la séquence prévue concernant la prise de rendez-vous pour la dose de rappel du vaccin contre la #COVID19.
Pour plus d'information ➡️ https://t.co/J4tGSdi7yg pic.twitter.com/faLD0tN5xX
— Santé Québec (@sante_qc) December 28, 2021
To date, over one million booster doses have been administered in Quebec.
Officials have repeated the importance of getting a third dose as it provides significant increase in protection against the Omicron variant.
Since the start of the health crisis Quebec has recorded 572,419 infections and 482,502 recoveries bringing the number of active cases to 78,215.
by Global News
