More than 4,000 Quebec health-care workers absent for COVID-related reasons
There are currently 4,102 Quebec healthcare workers absent from the job for COVID-19-related reasons, the province reported Thursday.
Quebec also reported 11 more COVID-19 deaths, bringing the total deaths to 17,426 since the pandemic began.
There are 1,981 people with COVID-19 in Quebec hospitals, an increase of seven from the previous day, with 177 entries and 170 discharges. Of those currently hospitalized, 646 were admitted for reasons directly related to COVID-19, while the rest tested positive seeking treatment for other ailments.
Meanwhile, there are 53 people with COVID-19 in intensive care, an increase of two from the previous day, with seven entries and five discharges. Thirty patients were admitted for reasons directly related to the virus.
NEW CASES
Quebec logged 1,241 positive PCR tests on Thursday, bringing the total confirmed COVID-19 cases to 1,261,462,
An additional 121 positive rapid tests were self-declared through Quebec's online portal. So far, 264,726 positive rapid tests have been recorded.
The province is monitoring 403 active COVID-19 outbreaks.
VACCINATIONS
An additional 17,574 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine have been administered to Quebecers for a total of 22,528,737 shots given.
As of Wednesday, 62 per cent of Quebecers are considered to have basic vaccination status.
For minors, this means they've received at least two shots, or one shot plus one COVID-19 infection. For adults, this means they've received at least two doses with one booster, or two doses plus one infection.
Meanwhile, 27 per cent of adults have gotten the jab since Aug. 15, while 31 per cent have gotten it in the last five months.
That rate is far higher among people over 80 years old, at 67 per cent. It's lowest among under-40s at 10 per cent.
Quebec public health is encouraging people to wear masks in crowded public spaces as the province's hospitals battle COVID-19, influenza and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV).
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Harvey Weinstein's 2020 rape conviction overturned by N.Y. appeals court
New York's highest court on Thursday overturned Harvey Weinstein's 2020 rape conviction, reversing a landmark ruling of the #MeToo era in determining the trial judge improperly allowed women to testify about allegations against the ex-movie mogul that weren't part of the case.
BREAKING Honda to get up to $5B in govt help for EV battery, assembly plants
Honda is set to build an electric vehicle battery plant next to its Alliston, Ont., assembly plant, which it is retooling to produce fully electric vehicles, all part of a $15-billion project that is expected to include up to $5 billion in public money.
MPP Sarah Jama asked to leave Ontario legislature for wearing keffiyeh
MPP Sarah Jama was asked to leave the Legislative Assembly of Ontario by House Speaker Ted Arnott on Thursday for wearing a keffiyeh, a garment that is banned at Queen’s Park.
CTE: Researchers believe widespread brain injury may contribute to veteran suicide rate
Researchers are working to better understand if some Canadian military veterans may be suffering from Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy, also known as CTE -- a disorder previously found in the brains of professional football and hockey players after their death.
1 arrested in northern Alberta during public shelter order
Residents of John D'Or Prairie, a community on the Little Red River Cree Nation in northern Alberta, were told to take shelter Thursday morning during a police operation.
Secret $70M Lotto Max winners break their silence
During a special winner celebration near their hometown, Doug and Enid shared the story of how they discovered they were holding a Lotto Max ticket worth $70 million and how they kept this huge secret for so long.
Remains from a mother-daughter cold case were found nearly 24 years later, after a deathbed confession from the suspect
A West Virginia father is getting some sense of closure after authorities found the remains of his young daughter and her mother following a deathbed confession from the man believed to have fatally shot them nearly two decades ago.
New deep-water channel allows first ship to pass Key bridge wreckage in Baltimore
The first cargo ship passed through a newly opened deep-water channel in Baltimore on Thursday after being stuck in the harbor since the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapsed four weeks ago, halting most maritime traffic through the city's port.
First in Canada procedure performed at London, Ont. hospital
A London man has become the first person in Canada to receive a robotic assisted surgery on his spine. Dave Myeh suffered from debilitating, chronic back pain that led to sciatica in his right now and extreme pain in his lower back.