Quebec reports 428 new COVID-19 cases; unvaccinated 21 times more likely to be hospitalized
Quebec on Thursday reported 428 new COVID-19 cases, slightly down from the day before, along with three new deaths.
Overall hospitalizations due to the virus decreased by 13 -- while 17 people were newly admitted, 30 were discharged.
There are currently 72 people in intensive care for coronavirus, with nine discharged and nine admitted in the last day.
Active cases in the province stand at 4,773 after hovering around 5,000 threshold for about a week and a half.
No variant types other than Delta have been detected in the most recent update.
RISK TO THE UNVACCINATED
Of the day's 428 new cases, 289 were among unvaccinated people.
That group's rate of illness over the last four weeks is 18.1 cases per 100,000 people, much higher than fully vaccinated Quebecers, who are seeing 2.6 cases per 100,000 people.
The risk rises much more when it comes to hospitalization, however: unvaccinated people are now 21.1 times more likely to be hospitalized with COVID-19 than the vaccinated.
That number is recalculated daily by the province based on data over the last 28 days, and it takes into account the incidence rate by age group.
3,306 FIRST VACCINE DOSES NEWLY GIVEN
Thursdays are consistently the day of the week when vaccinations are highest. Today, the province reported 13,614 new shots in Quebecers' arms, continuing slow but steady growth in the vaccination rate for the last two weeks.
That included 3,306 first doses, as well as 5,718 second doses.
The share of the total population that is vaccinated has now crept above 79 per cent, including children, who are not yet eligible for the vaccine.
Of the eligible population, 90 per cent have at least one dose, and 86 per cent have both doses.
HARDEST-HIT REGIONS
The regions with the highest incidence of coronavirus are currently outside the province's major cities.
Nunavik currently has the highest number of active cases per 100,000 people, at 132. It is followed by Chaudiere-Appalaches at 113 per 100,000.
Laval is next, with 79 cases per 100,000 people, then Montreal at 71 and the Eastern Townships at 69.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Several flight attendants from Pakistan have gone missing after landing in Canada
Multiple flight attendants from Pakistan International Airlines have abandoned their jobs and are believed to have sought asylum in Canada in the past year and a half, a spokesperson for the government-owned airline says.
BREAKING Ottawa public school board, 3 Toronto-area school boards launch lawsuit against social media giants
The Ottawa-Carleton District School Board and three school boards in the Toronto-area have launched legal action against social media giants, accusing them of "disrupting students' fundamental right to education."
Doctors visiting a Gaza hospital are stunned by the war's toll on Palestinian children
An international team of doctors visiting a hospital in central Gaza was prepared for the worst. But the gruesome impact Israel’s war against Hamas is having on Palestinian children still left them stunned.
Crypt near Marilyn Monroe and Hugh Hefner could fetch US$400,000 at auction
A one-space mausoleum crypt in the vicinity of Marilyn Monroe and Hugh Hefner will go on auction Saturday, when it is expected to reach between US$200,000 and $400,000.
This Toronto restaurant is no longer accepting tips. Here's how it's going
A Toronto restaurant introduced a surprising new rule that reduced the cost of a meal and raised the salaries of staff – tipping is no longer accepted.
A Nigerian woman reviewed some tomato puree online. Now she faces jail
A Nigerian woman who wrote an online review of a can of tomato puree is facing imprisonment after its manufacturer accused her of making a “malicious allegation” that damaged its business.
Premiers not being truthful about carbon tax, Trudeau says while sparks fly in Ottawa
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says Conservative premiers across the country are 'not telling the truth' when it comes to the carbon tax. Trudeau's comments came as fresh sparks were flying in Ottawa at a recalled House of Commons committee.
Far North police 'dispatch' polar bear stalking schoolyard
Police and local hunters in an Ontario Far North First Nation community have “dispatched” a polar that was showing abnormal behaviour and treating the area as a hunting ground.
What new auto insurance reforms will mean for Ontarians, if they get introduced
Ontario has among the highest rates for auto insurance premiums in Canada -- just below Alberta and Nova Scotia -- however, the introduction of an insurance reform in the provincial budget could soon lower prices.