Quebec reports 756 new COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations up by 10
Quebec reported on Monday that 756 more people have tested positive for COVID-19 as the province saw a slight spike in hospitalizations in the last 24 hours.
Two people have also died from the disease, bringing the total number of deaths to 11,576 since the start of the pandemic.
Quebec's health minister, Christian Dubé, and Dr. Horacio Arruda, the director of public health, are holding a press conference at 1 p.m. in Montreal on Monday to provide an update on COVID-19 in Quebec.
Canadian health officials are monitoring the spread of the new coronavirus variant, classified as Omicron, which was first confirmed in Ottawa on Sunday from two travellers who returned from a trip in Nigeria. Ontario's chief medical officer of health, Dr. Kieran Moore, announced Monday morning that the two travellers entered the country at Montreal’s Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport and were tested there before arriving in Ottawa.
Of the new cases recorded in Quebec on Monday, 417 (55 per cent) were from people who aren’t vaccinated, 16 were from people who had one dose more than 14 days ago, and 323 (42 per cent) were from people who had their second shot more than seven days ago.
Quebec's public health institute (INSPQ) is reporting 7,846 active cases, an increase of 522 active cases from Sunday.
Provincial data also showed that 22 people were admitted to hospital in the last 24 hours and 12 people were discharged, for an overall increase of 10 hospitalizations. As of Monday, there were 226 people in hospital, including 45 people in intensive care, which is a decrease of three ICU cases from the day before.
Non-vaccinated people are 16.1 times more likely to be hospitalized and 3.6 times more likely to be infected compared to vaccinated people, according to Quebec's Ministry of Health and Social Services. The province says those statistics are based on COVID-19 data from the past four weeks.
Of the 22 people admitted to hospital, nine were unvaccinated and 13 had their second shot more than seven days ago.
The positivity rate in Quebec was 3.3 per cent on Monday. Testing is also up as health-care workers analyzed 23,013 samples on Nov. 27.
VACCINATION COVERAGE
An additional 22,598 vaccine doses were administered in Quebec in the last 24 hours, for a total of 13,594,078 doses given out in the province. There are also 232,450 doses given to Quebecers out of province, which means the total number of doses given to residents is 13,826,528.
In the past 24 hours, health-care workers have administered 19,857 first doses, the vast majority of which (18,927) were for youth between five and 11 years old. So far, 69,889 doses have been given out to Quebec kids under 12 since they became eligible last week.
According to the latest data, 85 per cent of the population aged five and older have received one dose, 81 per cent has received two doses, and 3 per cent has received a booster.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
UPDATED | Ont. and Que. scramble to recover from thunderstorm that left at least 8 dead
Clean-up efforts are underway after a massive thunderstorm on Saturday left a trail of destruction in Southern Ontario and Quebec.

What is a 'derecho'? Climatologist explains Saturday's powerful storm
The storm that moved across Ontario and Quebec Saturday is known as a 'derecho', a powerful kind of windstorm that is long lasting and far-reaching.
Group of Ontario lawyers petitions courts to keep proceedings virtual
More than 1,000 lawyers in Ontario have signed a petition to make all court appearances 'presumptively virtual unless parties and their counsel agree otherwise.'
How concerned should we be about monkeypox?
Global health officials have sounded the alarm over rising cases in Europe and elsewhere of monkeypox, a type of viral infection more common to west and central Africa. Here's what we know about the current outbreak and the relative risk.
Officials expect 3 to 4 days to restore power across Ottawa following storm
Hydro Ottawa says it will take several days to restore power and clean up after a severe storm damaged hydro poles and wires on Saturday.
Flames engulf Indigenous-owned resort in B.C. Interior
Guests at an Indigenous-owned resort in B.C.'s Interior were evacuated Sunday morning and watched as firefighters tried to contain the flames that had engulfed the building's roof.
78,000 pounds of infant formula arrives in U.S.
A military plane carrying enough specialty infant formula for more than half a million baby bottles arrived Sunday in Indianapolis, the first of several flights expected from Europe aimed at relieving a shortage that has sent parents scrambling to find enough to feed their children.
Russia presses Donbas attacks as Polish leader praises Kyiv
Russia pressed its offensive in eastern Ukraine on Sunday as Poland's president traveled to Kyiv to support the country's European Union aspirations, becoming the first foreign leader to address the Ukrainian parliament since the start of the war.
Solemn day of ceremony to mark anniversary of Kamloops unmarked graves
Beginning at sunrise on Monday, the Tk'emlúps te Secwépemc will host a solemn day of ceremony and reflection to mark the one-year anniversary of unmarked graves being located at the site of the former Kamloops Indian Residential School.