Quebec reports 88 new deaths from COVID-19, but only eight more hospitalizations
Quebec saw a net increase of only eight hospitalizations Wednesday, and a slight decrease in ICU cases, reflecting provincial public health authorities' observations a day earlier that the pace of COVID-19 hospitalizations is slowing.
Deaths in the province, however, remain very high, with 88 newly reported, just one less than Tuesday's count.
Hospital turnover also remains quite high, with 359 new admittances -- there were also many discharges, however, leading to the small net increase.
There are four fewer people overall in intensive care, with 42 newly admitted and 46 newly discharged.
Overall, those hospital numbers continue to strain Quebec to its maximum capacity, with 3,425 people currently in hospital for the virus and 285 in intensive care.
On Tuesday, health authorities also released a guide for hospitals on how to decrease the overall level of care in coming days if they do max out their capacity. This would mean providing many non-COVID-19 patients with less intensive care for the time being until the situation stabilizes.
There are 6,123 new COVID-19 cases registered as of Wednesday, but testing numbers remain unreliable since PCR testing has been limited to a small segment of Quebecers such as health-care workers and teachers.
Of those tests, the positivity rate currently stands at 13.2 per cent.
ALMOST 115,000 NEW VACCINATIONS
Tuesday was a big day for vaccines, with almost 115,000 shots given out. A total of 35 per cent of Quebecers now have their boosters.
Younger Quebecers are now getting boosted in huge numbers. The majority of Tuesday's newly given boosters went to people aged 40 to 59, but those under 40 also make up a big portion.
In total, about 69,000 people in these two age groups got boosted within the day.
On Quebec's first back-to-school day since the holidays, however, there was little sign that vaccination of children under 12 is ramping up.
It's going slowly, with only 632 new first doses given to this age group on Monday. At this point, the number of daily second doses for children aged five to 11 is often equaling or even outpacing first doses, and on Tuesday it was 499.
QUEBEC'S NORTHERN REGIONS FARING THE WORST
Montreal, Laval and the surrounding areas are no longer leading the province in cases per capita.
The hardest-hit regions on a per-capita basis are mostly in the north. The highest rate right now is in Nunavik, followed by Terres-Cries-de-la-Baie-James.
Those two are followed by Chaudiere-Appalaches, Mauricie-Centre-du-Quebec, Nord-du-Quebec and Cote-Nord.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'A beautiful soul': Funeral held for baby boy killed in wrong-way crash on Highway 401
A funeral was held on Wednesday for a three-month-old boy who died after being involved in a wrong-way crash on Highway 401 in Whitby last week.
'Sophisticated' cyberattacks detected on B.C. government networks, premier says
There has been a "sophisticated" cybersecurity breach detected on B.C. government networks, Premier David Eby confirmed Wednesday evening.
Police handcuff man trying to enter Drake's Toronto mansion
Toronto police say a man was taken into custody outside Drake's Bridle Path mansion Wednesday afternoon after he tried to gain access to the residence.
Biden says he will stop sending bombs and artillery shells to Israel if they launch major invasion of Rafah
U.S. President Joe Biden said for the first time Wednesday he would halt shipments of American weapons to Israel, which he acknowledged have been used to kill civilians in Gaza, if Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu orders a major invasion of the city of Rafah.
Canucks claw out 5-4 comeback win over Oilers in Game 1
Dakota Joshua had a goal and two assists and the Vancouver Canucks scored three third-period goals to claw out a 5-4 comeback victory over the Edmonton Oilers in Game 1 of their second-round playoff series Wednesday.
Nijjar murder suspect says he had Canadian study permit in immigration firm's video
One of the Indian nationals accused of murdering British Columbia Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar says in a social media video that he received a Canadian study permit with the help of an Indian immigration consultancy.
Pfizer agrees to settle more than 10K lawsuits over Zantac cancer risk: Bloomberg News
Pfizer has agreed to settle more than 10,000 lawsuits about cancer risks related to the now discontinued heartburn drug Zantac, Bloomberg News reported on Wednesday, citing people familiar with the deal.
Quebec premier defends new museum on Quebecois nation after Indigenous criticism
Quebec Premier Francois Legault is defending his comments about a new history museum after he was accused by a prominent First Nations group of trying to erase their history.
U.S. presidential candidate RFK Jr. had a brain worm, has recovered, campaign says
Independent U.S. presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. had a parasite in his brain more than a decade ago, but has fully recovered, his campaign said, after the New York Times reported about the ailment.