Quebec could be on the cusp of a fourth COVID-19 wave; Delta variant already here
Health professionals in Quebec are warning people to continue taking precautions when leaving the house as the COVID-19 pandemic isn't yet over.
Public health measures, such as wearing a mask, keeping a two-metre distance and washing hands, are still highly encouraged practices.
Wednesday, the province reported a 57-person jump in variant cases, bringing the total number to 8,512.
Most of those infections are due to the highly contagious Delta (B. 1.617) variant.
At the beginning of July, 77 people were recorded infected with Delta. As of July 28, that number has risen to 286 people, an increase of 209.
The Alpha (B.1.1.7) variant is still the most predominant in terms of total numbers, with 7,225 infections in Quebec -- up 188 since July 1.
The Beta (B.1.351) variant is up by 20 infections this month and the Gamma (P.1) rose by 38 people.
Quebec Health Minister Christian Dubé acknowledges there has been a slight increase in infections lately.
"The Delta variant is already here," he tweeted, once again asking all eligible Quebecers to get their two doses of a vaccine to stop the virus in its tracks.
"We have enough vaccines for everyone," he said. "Take advantage of it."
Nevertheless, the province's infection rates have remained relatively steady, with the average number of cases over a seven-day period hovering at 101 as of July 23, according to the Institut national de santé publique du Québec (INSPQ).
The latest data show there are 864 active COVID-19 cases in the province with 61 people in hospital and 19 in ICU.
Quebec officials have not recorded any new deaths since July 22.
Two deaths were recorded that day; one was a person living in a private senior's residence (RPA) and the other was classified as "at home or unknown."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Why wasn't the suspected Chinese spy balloon shot down over Canada?
Critics say the U.S. and Canada had ample time to shoot down a suspected Chinese spy balloon as it drifted across North America. The alleged surveillance device initially approached North America near Alaska's Aleutian Islands on Jan 28. According to officials, it crossed into Canadian airspace on Jan. 30, travelling above the Northwest Territories, Alberta and Saskatchewan before re-entering the U.S. on Jan 31.

Thieves cut huge hole in Ottawa restaurant wall to get at jewelry store next door
An Ottawa restaurateur says he was shocked to find his restaurant broken into and even more surprised to discover a giant hole in the wall that led to the neighbouring jewelry store.
Rescuers scramble in Turkiye, Syria after quake kills 4,000
Rescue workers and civilians passed chunks of concrete and household goods across mountains of rubble Monday, moving tons of wreckage by hand in a desperate search for survivors trapped by a devastating earthquake.
New details emerge ahead of Trudeau-premiers' health-care meeting
As preparations are underway for the anticipated health-care 'working meeting' between Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Canada's premiers on Tuesday, new details are emerging about how the much-anticipated federal-provincial gathering will unfold.
Quebec minister 'surprised' asylum seekers given free bus tickets from New York City
Quebec's immigration minister says she was 'surprised' to learn the City of New York is helping to provide free bus tickets to migrants heading north to claim asylum in Canada.
The world's deadliest earthquakes since 2000
A magnitude 7.8 earthquake shook Turkiye and Syria on Monday, killing thousands of people. Here is a list of some of the world's deadliest earthquakes since 2000.
Mendicino: foreign-agent registry would need equity lens, could be part of 'tool box'
Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino says a registry to track foreign agents operating in Canada can only be implemented in lockstep with diverse communities.
Vaccine intake higher among people who knew someone who died of COVID-19: U.S. survey
A U.S. survey found that people who had a personal connection to someone who became ill or died of COVID-19 were more likely to have received at least one shot of the vaccine compared to those who didn’t have any loved ones who had been impacted by the disease.
opinion | Don Martin: Alarms going off over health-care privatization? Such an out-of-touch waste of hot political air
The chances Trudeau's health-care summit with the premiers will end with the blueprint to realistic long-term improvements are only marginally better than believing China’s balloon was simply collecting atmospheric temperatures, Don Martin writes in an exclusive column for CTVNews.ca, 'But it’s clearly time the 50-year-old dream of medicare as a Canadian birthright stopped being such a nightmare for so many patients.'