5,043 new COVID-19 cases as Quebec breaks infection record again

Quebec has broken its record of new COVID-19 infections yet again, reporting 5,043 new cases on Tuesday.

The total number of people infected is now 495,337 since the start of the pandemic and there are currently 29,318 active cases in the province.

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Quebec health officials also confirmed eight more deaths, a total of 11,650.

On Dec. 19, a total of 42,303 samples were analyzed.

HOSPITALIZATIONS UP BY 18

Hospitalizations are up by 18, bringing the number of people in Quebec hospitals to 415. The net increase of 18 came after 59 admissions and 41 discharges.

Of those, 88 people are in intensive care, up by six -- 10 new patients and four who were released.

Of the new cases, 1,219 people are unvaccinated or partially vaccinated with one dose received less than 14 days ago; 238 are people who had one dose more than two weeks ago; and 3,586 are people who received two doses of a vaccine more than seven days ago.

Of the new hospitalizations, 32 are unvaccinated or partially vaccinated people who received one dose less than two weeks ago, none are people who had one dose more than two weeks ago and 27 are people who received two doses more than one week ago.

Health officials note the risk of infection for people who are not vaccinated is 1.8 times that of someone who received two doses and the risk of hospitalization is 14 times someone who is fully vaccinated. 

81 PER CENT NOW HAVE TWO DOSES

Quebec's health care professionals administered 76,356 more vaccinations in the province: 73,188 doses in the last 24 hours and 3,168 doses before Dec. 20, for a total of 14,435,353 doses given in the province.

Outside Quebec, another 244,642 doses have been given to Quebecers. 

As of Dec. 20, a total of 7,237,205 Quebecers, or 89 per cent of the eligible population aged five and up, have received their first dose of a vaccine and 6,646,507 people, or 81 per cent, have received two.

Of those eligible for a third dose, 742,730 Quebecers, or nine per cent, have received it.

EXPLOSION IN OMICRON CASES

According to the Institut national de santé publique du Québec (INSPQ) on Tuesday morning, there were 64 confirmed Omicron cases and 728 presumptive.

The numbers for the other variants stood at 45,665 Alpha (B.1.1.7), 460 Bêta (B.1.351), 610 Gamma (P.1) and 31,815 Delta (B.1.167.2).

However, later on Tuesday, the INSPQ released a major update to those numbers, announcing that their testing shows that Omicron accounts for 80 per cent of the cases in the province, or more than 20,000 of the province's active cases.

ONE YEAR LATER

On this day last year, Quebec had 2,116 new cases of COVID-19, less than half the amount recorded Tuesday.

There were 1,056 people in hospital, with 138 in ICU; 38 people were reported dead that day due to the virus, according to INSPQ.

 

COVID-19 CASES IN QUEBEC
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