Quebec reports 1,196 new COVID-19 cases on Wednesday, highest since April
Quebec health officials are reporting almost 1,200 new cases of COVID-19 in the province on Wednesday, a major jump from recent days.
Health Minister Christian Dube first revealed the new case count in a news conference in Quebec City Wednesday morning.
The exact numbers were released at 11 a.m., showing 1,196 new cases in the province, and two deaths.
It's the highest daily count of new cases in Quebec since April 24.
Montreal public health officials held a news conference on Omicron and the state of the situation, urging people to get their kids vaccinated quickly, in clinics, without waiting for in-school vaccinations later this month.
Province-wide, net hospitalizations went up by 12, for a total of 239 Quebecers currently hospitalized with the coronavirus. There are 52 people in intensive care, an increase of one.
According to the province's daily number-crunching, unvaccinated people are currently 15.8 times more likely to be hospitalized with the virus than the vaccinated.
The number of active cases also continues to increase steadily, with the most recent count at 8,447 active infections.
The positivity rate is also on a general slow upswing and currently stands at 3.1 per cent, up from a recent low of 1.3 per cent on Oct. 25.
EASTERN TOWNSHIPS VERY HARD-HIT
Regionally, Nunavik continues to show the highest rate by far of infections, with 763.2 active infections per 100,000 people.
However, among the rest of the province, the Eastern Townships stands out as being in crisis as well. It currently has 248 active cases per 100,000, much more than the next-highest region, which is Chaudiere-Appalaches, with a rate of 140.
Laval, Montreal, Lanaudiere and the Laurentians also all posted rates of between 110 and 130.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'One of the single most terrifying things ever': Ontario couple among passengers on sinking tour boat in Dominican Republic
A Toronto couple are speaking out about their 'extremely dangerous' experience on board a sinking tour boat in the Dominican Republic last week.
What Canadians think of the latest Liberal budget
A new poll suggests the Liberals have not won over voters with their latest budget, though there is broad support for their plan to build millions of homes.
opinion Why you should protect your investments by naming a trusted contact person
Appointing a trusted person to help with financial obligations can give you peace of mind. In his personal finance column for CTVNews.ca, Christopher Liew outlines the key benefits of naming a confidant to take over your financial responsibilities, if the need ever arises.
Teacher shortages see some Ontario high school students awarded perfect grades on midterm exams
Students at a high school in York Region have been awarded perfect marks on their midterm exams in three subjects – not because of their academic performances however, but because they had no teacher.
'My stomach dropped': Winnipeg man speaks out after being criminally harassed following single online date
A Winnipeg man said a single date gone wrong led to years of criminal harassment, false arrests, stress and depression.
Photographer alleges he was forced to watch Megan Thee Stallion have sex and was unfairly fired
A photographer who worked for Megan Thee Stallion said in a lawsuit filed Tuesday that he was forced to watch her have sex, was unfairly fired soon after and was abused as her employee.
Ottawa injects another $36M into vaccine injury compensation fund
The federal government has added $36.4 million to a program designed to support people who have been seriously injured or killed by vaccines since the end of 2020.
An Ontario senior thought he called Geek Squad for help with his printer. Instead, he got scammed out of $25,000
An Ontario senior’s attempt to get technical help online led him into a spoofing scam where he lost $25,000. Now, he’s sharing his story to warn others.
Her fiance has been in prison for 49 years. She's trying to free him before it's too late
Christine Roess is a retired consultant. Ezra Bozeman has spent the last 49 years in prison, serving a life sentence for a murder he says he didn’t commit. Against the odds, the two fell in love.