Amid dropping COVID-19 numbers, Quebec also saw 21,000 adults newly vaccinated in a month

Quebec's COVID-19 numbers continue to drop as the Omicron wave recedes. Thursday saw 22 new deaths and an overall decrease of almost 100 hospitalizations.

The province also reported that since Jan. 24, almost 21,000 people over 18 have gotten first doses of the vaccine, as vaccine coverage continues to creep up in all age groups.

First-dose coverage of all Quebecers ages five and up is now at 91 per cent, with almost half the population fully vaccinated with all three shots.

There are just over half a million Quebecers over 18 who are completely unvaccinated.

As for hospitalizations, the most important number in terms of the ability to reopen the economy, the overall number continues to drop steadily.

In the last day there were 120 people newly admitted to hospital with COVID-19, and 213 discharged, creating a net decrease of 93 people. The total current hospitalizations are 1,902.

In the ICU, there's a total of 124 people, with those numbers also continuing to drop slightly day over day. On Wednesday, the decrease was five people.

There were 2,055 cases of COVID-19 officially registered on Wednesday among the small population still eligible for PCR testing, which includes health-care workers.

Another 441 people reported their own positive results from at-home tests using the province's online self-reporting platform.

The new number of vaccinations from Wednesday hasn't yet been reported, with the province citing technical difficulties. However, the broader numbers to date, as of Wednesay morning, were summed up in the most recent "dashboard" overview.

It's difficult to gauge regional infection levels with the lack of access to testing. However, judging by the number of positive PCR tests, the region with the highest proportion of active cases right now is Nunavik, by a very wide margin.

In southern Quebec, the hardest-hit region is the Bas-St-Laurent, followed by Chaudiere-Appalaches.

Montreal and Laval are doing relatively well, with some of the lowest rates of active cases in the province. Quebec City, by comparison, has nearly twice as many active cases per capita as Montreal.

 

COVID-19 CASES IN QUEBEC
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This is a developing story that will be updated.