Quebec premier to hold COVID-19 presser as cases surge to 2,736

Quebec is reporting 2,736 new cases of COVID-19 on Thursday and five more deaths attributable to the virus.

Quebec Premier François Legault will be holding a press conference to announce new measures related to COVID-19 and the Omicron variant at 6 p.m.

In a tweet, the premier referred to the situation as “critical.”

La situation est critique. Je tiendrai une conférence de presse, ce soir à 18h, pour annoncer des mesures importantes en raison de l’augmentation des cas de COVID et du nouveau variant Omicron.

— François Legault (@francoislegault) December 16, 2021

Meanwhile, pandemic-related hospitalizations decreased by four but remain above the 300-mark at 304. Thirty-four new patients were admitted while 38 were discharged.

Of the COVID-related hospitalizations, 63 patients are in intensive care.

Public health data published Thursday shows people who are not vaccinated or less than two weeks removed from a first dose are 2,6 times more at risk of becoming infected with the virus than people who are adequately vaccinated.

They are also 15.3 times more at risk of being hospitalized from complications of the illness than people who are vaccinated.

In the last 24 hours, 52,143 doses of vaccine were administered in Quebec.

With the spread of the Omicron variant in the province, the push is on to get third dose booster shots out with to a wider segment of the population.

Health-care workers, pregnant women, people aged 70 and over, those living in remote or isolated communities, as well as those with health issues that put them more at risk of suffering complications from the virus, are currently being prioritized.

Kids between the ages of five and 11 are also high on the priority list with a campaign in full swing to have a first dose administered by Christmas.

To date, 305,701 children in the targeted age group have received a first shot, while 41,921 others have booked an appointment.

The percentage of the population having received at least one dose now stands at 83,6 per cent.

To date, Quebec has recorded 471,742 infections, and 444,146 recoveries bringing the number of active cases to 15,974.

The death toll in Quebec has climbed to 11,627 since the start of the pandemic.

by Global News