Quebec health workers to offer vaccinations in care homes

The COVID-19 situation in Quebec is improving, according to Public Health Director Dr. Luc Boileau.

Speaking at a press conference Thursday, Boileau said COVID-19 transmission is diminished across all age groups.

This news "doesn't mean the wave is over," he clarified, but it's a good sign.

It comes the same day the province reported a slight decrease in COVID-19 hospitalizations and 18 more deaths.

However, Boileau cautioned that another wave could arrive in the fall, brought on partially by the return to school.

There's currently no plan to reinstate COVID-19 restrictions such as masks, he said, but public health will be carefully monitoring the situation over the coming weeks.  

NEW VACCINE CAMPAIGN 

Boileau also announced Thursday that Quebec health-care workers will travel directly to long-term care facilities (CHSLDs) and private seniors' residences to administer COVID-19 vaccines.

The new vaccination campaign, which aims to make vaccines more accessible to the province's most vulnerable, begins Aug. 15.  

Boileau encouraged all Quebecers to catch up on their booster shots -- especially seniors and those with compromised immune systems.

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"If it's been five months since you got your last dose, it's time to get another," he said.   

Among Quebecers ages five and up, 91 per cent have received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, 56 per cent have received three and 18 per cent have received all four.

Fifty-one per cent of Quebecers older than 60 have received four shots of the vaccine. 

DEATHS SURPASS 16,000

The virus has claimed the lives of 16,010 Quebecers since the pandemic began.

There are currently 2,136 people with COVID-19 in Quebec hospitals. Of those, 725 were admitted for reasons directly related to COVID-19, while the rest tested positive for the virus while seeking treatment for other issues.

It's a decrease of 10 hospitalizations since Wednesday.

Meanwhile, 67 people are in intensive care, the same number as the previous day.

Of those, 31 were admitted directly because of COVID-19.

There are currently 5,049 healthcare workers absent for COVID-19-related reasons.

The Health Ministry also reported 1,389 more positive PCR tests Thursday, with a test positivity rate of 11.3 per cent.

As for rapid testing, 244 positive tests were self-declared through Quebec's online portal.

The province is currently monitoring 586 outbreaks. 

COVID-19 CASES IN QUEBEC
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