Quebec enters seventh wave of COVID-19
As Quebec enters the seventh wave of COVID-19, the province's health minister says the situation is "under control for the moment" but is urging residents to be "vigilant."
"We are not here at all to reimpose health measures," Health Minister Christian Dubé said Thursday during a news conference. "We've said all along that we need to live with this COVID."
The health minister said that isolating when sick and keeping up to date on vaccinations is key to curbing this latest surge of the virus and protecting the most vulnerable members of the community, including the elderly and those with weakened immune systems.
On the latter, he announced the province will soon release new guidance on its website for people to help them decide when they should seek booster doses of the vaccine to ensure they are protected from the latest Omicron variants that are spreading in Quebec and elsewhere in the world.
Dr. Luc Boileau, Quebec's public health director, joined the health minister for the media briefing Thursday morning. The pair has not been side-by-side for COVD-19 updates in quite some time.
Quebec's hospitalizations surpassed 1,500 on Thursday—a number not seen since May, according to Quebec's public health institute (INSPQ).
NEW WAVE COULD PEAK IN WEEKS
This new wave, however, is not expected to persist for much of the summer, Boileau predicted openly.
"The evolution should curve down during the month of July, but there are uncertainties about that and we will follow the situation very carefully," he said.
The rise is nonetheless happening as more and more health-care workers are being reported absent from work due to COVID-related reasons. On Thursday, the number reached more than 7,300.
Boileau highlighted the prevalence of subvariants of the Omicron strain of the coronavirus—BA.4 and BA.5—that is being blamed for surges in other countries.
The more contagious variants account for a growing proportion of variants across Canada in recent weeks. According to the latest data from the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC), BA.5 accounted for 20.4 per cent of cases as of June 12. By that date, BA.4 represented about 7.4 per cent of cases.
A month prior, each of those variants accounted for about 1 per cent of cases.
The province explained Thursday that while the two subvariants are proving to be more contagious, they don't appear at this time to be more virulent than previous variants. This is the bar Quebec is using to decide whether or not to bring back more public health measures, Boileau told reporters.
"If there's a variant that shows that it's a deadly one, that we calculate that there's a risk of increasing the risk for the system and the people, their mortality, morbidity, then it will certainly bring back some very new [measures]," Boileau said.
"But this is not what we're what we are facing right now."
PEOPLE NOT RESPECTING ISOLATION RULES: PUBLIC HEALTH
The public health officials attributed some of the blame for the rise in infections on people not respecting isolation guidelines. "That explains the current wave," Boileau said.
"Clearly, there are a lot of people who are not respecting the rules."
Boileau reminded the public that once symptoms are observed, a complete isolation of five days is necessary.
After that, infected people should wear a face mask for another five days during any social interaction since people who test positive remain contagious for 10 days.
On Thursday, Quebec reported the positivity rate remained stable at 14.5 per cent as it logged 1,755 new infections from PCR testing, which is reserved for priority clientele.
The province is also monitoring 339 active outbreaks of the virus across Quebec. On Tuesday, COVID-19 outbreaks caused the closure of three Quebec sleepaway camps.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'I screamed in shock and horror': Family faces deadly Vancouver hit-and-run driver during sentencing
The sentencing of the man who pleaded guilty in the deadly hit-and-run in Kitsilano two years ago began on Friday.
Storm brewing in Gulf of Mexico could intensify into a hurricane, threatening Florida
A storm system brewing in the Gulf of Mexico is expected to reach tropical storm status later Saturday, with forecasters warning it could intensify into a hurricane headed to Florida next week.
WATCH LIVE @ 3:30 P.M. Video shows person break into Old Montreal building before fatal fire that killed mother, daughter
The two people who died in a major fire in Old Montreal on Friday were a mother and her seven-year-old daughter, sources told Noovo Info.
The Menendez brothers case is not the only one that's been affected by a true crime documentary
Being an armchair detective has turned into an American obsession, fueled by an abundance of true-crime content in podcasts and television series. But some of those projects have sparked actual legal developments.
Frequent drinking of fizzy beverages and fruit juice are linked to an increased risk of stroke: research
New data raises questions about the drinks people consume and the potential risks associated with them, according to researchers at Galway University in Ireland, in partnership with Hamilton’s McMaster University.
OPP charge driver going 175 km/h on Highway 417 in Ottawa
Ontario Provincial Police have laid stunt charges against a driver caught speeding 75 km/h over the speed limit on Highway 417 in Ottawa's west end.
Looking for cheap flights for the holidays? Here are some tips to remember
Travelling on a budget can be stressful, but there are ways you can ensure you're getting the best deal on flights as the holiday season approaches.
A French judge in a shocking rape case allows the public to see some of the video evidence
A French judge in the trial of dozens of men accused of raping an unconscious woman whose now former husband had repeatedly drugged her so that he and others could assault her decided on Friday to allow the public to see some of the video recordings of the alleged rapes.
Canadian musician Jacob Hoggard found not guilty of sexual assault
Canadian musician Jacob Hoggard has been found not guilty of sexually assaulting a young woman in northeastern Ontario eight years ago. The former Hedley frontman had pleaded not guilty to sexual assault.