Quebec COVID-19 deaths spike by 39 as cases rise by 14,486
Montreal -
Quebec reported a spike of 39 COVID-19 related deaths on Wednesday as hospitalizations continued to rise sharply.
Since the beginning of the pandemic, 11,820 people have died due to the virus.
It's the most deaths reported in a single day since almost a year ago, late January 2021, when 36 people died per day on average, according to Quebec's public health institute.
There are now 1,750 people in hospital, a net increase of 158, after 321 were admitted and 163 were no longer in care.
Of those hospitalized, 191 people are in the ICU, an overall increase of six from the day before. Twenty-nine were admitted into that unit and 23 were released.
The province also reported 14,486 new infections, however that's likely much lower than the actual number of new cases.
Health authorities have long warned testing capacity can't keep up with the recent explosion of new infections. On Tuesday, Quebec limited PCR testing access to select groups.
There are now 115,626 active cases and 1,285 active outbreaks in Quebec.
VACCINATION CAMPAIGN
Health workers administered 92,506 vaccine doses in the 24 hours prior, for a total of 15,551,992.
Of the edligible population (aged five and up), 89 per cent have gotten at least one dose of a vaccine, 82 have two, and 19 have been boosted.
Of those aged 60 and up, 46 per cent have gotten a third dose.
Unvaccinated people are 7.8 times more likely to be hospitalized after catching COVID-19.
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