Quebec COVID-19 hospitalizations rise as health officials urge residents to get boosted

Quebec COVID-19 hospitalizations rose again Thursday following renewed calls from health officials for residents to refresh their vaccinations against the virus. 

Hospital occupancy saw an increase of 52 people since Wednesday morning, for a total of 2,082 people in care. 

Of those, 614 were admitted because of their symptoms, while the rest tested positive after arriving in hospital. 

Intensive care units also saw a net rise of three, growing that total to 55 occupied beds across the province. 

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Public health also recorded two more people have died with COVID-19, for an updated total of 16,863.

Those two deaths are said to have taken place between two and seven days ago. 

Health-care workers recorded an overall positivity rate of 10.6 per cent following the analysis of 8,894 PCR tests, which are only available to certain at-risk populations. 

The update comes a day after Health Minister Christian Dube renewed pleas with Quebecers to stay updated on their COVID-19 boosters. 

Earlier this week, the province's COVID-19 hospital occupancy rose above 2,000 for the first time since mid-August. 

"These are worrying figures, but the situation does not require the reinstatement of sanitary measures," he said.

Dube said despite those numbers, the increase in hospitalizations in not as sharp as in previous waves and is not being felt in intensive care units as strongly. 

While Quebec boasted some of the highest rates of vaccination in the country in earlier waves, booster rates have not caught on as strongly. 

According to public health, just 61 per cent of Quebecers have received basic vaccination, meaning two doses or infection plus a booster for adults. For those under 17, it requires two doses or an infection followed by at least one dose.