Quebec COVID-19 hospitalizations rise again, deaths jump by 45
Quebec's hospitals are treating 443 new patients with COVID-19 infections, bringing total occupancy to 2,994 -- just shy of stark predictions made last week by the province's public health institute (INESSS).
Intensive care cases also rose after 44 people were admitted, a total of 272 patients.
The province also recorded another rise in deaths: 45 people were reported dead due to the virus, bringing that total to 12,125.
Quebec logged 8,793 new cases among select high-risk groups -- the only people allowed to be PCR tested after new regulations rolled out earlier in the month.
That number does not reflect cases in the general population, who must rely on rapid tests or assume they are sick if they have COVID-19-like symptoms.
There are 1,443 known active outbreaks and 93,239 recorded active infections.
Thursday's update was based on 43,357 COVID-19 tests, resulting in a positivity rate of 15.9 per cent.
That's slightly down from Wednesday's rate of 16.6 per cent, but still higher than the five per cent threshold that health authorities considered alarming in previous waves.
THIRD DOSES SHY OF 30 PER CENT
Health care workers administered 111,395 vaccine doses in the last 24 hours, 103,965 of which were booster shots.
Of the eligible population aged five and up, 90 per cent have gotten at least one dose, 82 per cent have gotten two and 28 per cent have gotten three.
People who get infected with COVID-19 are 6.9 times more likely to end up in hospital if they aren't vaccinated.
While unvaccinated people make up about 13 per cent of the population, they account for 28 per cent of those in hospital and 45 per cent of those in the ICU.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Why drivers in Ontario, Quebec and Atlantic Canada will see a gas price spike, and other Canadians won't
Drivers in Eastern Canada face a big increase in gas prices because of various factors, especially the higher cost of the summer blend, industry analysts say.
How to avoid the trap of becoming 'house poor'
The journey to home ownership can be exciting, but personal finance columnist Christopher Liew warns about the trappings of becoming 'house poor' -- where an overwhelming portion of your income is devoured by housing costs. Liew offers some practical strategies to maintain better financial health while owning a home.
Toxic forever chemicals in drinking water: Is Canada doing enough?
As the United States sets its first national limits on toxic forever chemicals in drinking water, researchers say Canada is lagging when it comes to regulations.
'A living nightmare': Winnipeg woman sentenced following campaign of harassment against man after online date
A Winnipeg woman was sentenced to house arrest after a single date with a man she met online culminated in her harassing him for years, and spurred false allegations which resulted in the innocent man being arrested three times.
McDonald's customers left with 'zero value' collection of free hot drink stickers after company ends program
It took years for Vinnie Deluca to collect more than 400 cards worth of free McDonald's McCafe coffee, a collection that now has "zero value" after the company discontinued the program.
Biden scores endorsements from Kennedy family, looking to shore up support against Trump and RFK Jr.
U.S. President Joe Biden will accept endorsements from at least 15 members of the Kennedy political family during a campaign stop in Philadelphia on Thursday as he aims to undermine Donald Trump and marginalize the candidacy of Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
Where did the gold go? Crime expert weighs in on unfolding Pearson airport heist investigation
Almost 7,000 bars of pure gold were stolen from Pearson International Airport exactly one year ago during an elaborate heist, but so far only a tiny fraction of that stolen loot has been found.
When new leaders took over in ancient Maya, they didn't just bury the former royals. They burned their bodies in public
New archeological investigations in Guatemala reveal that the ancient Maya people had a ritual of burning royal human remains as a public display of political regime change.
Party's over: Coyotes play final game as Arizona franchise before move to Salt Lake City
Mullett Arena buzzed like few times in the two years since the Arizona Coyotes moved in, the fans amped for one last desert hurrah.