With Quebec short 4,000 nurses, health minister pleads, yet again: get vaccinated
Quebec's health minister made yet another plea on Tuesday to a certain 15 per cent of Quebecers: get vaccinated.
Health Minister Christan Dubé said that the numbers of those hospitalized may seem small. But he'd like people to keep one thing in mind: Quebec is so low on nursing staff by now, it can't afford any more strain.
Seven more patients were admitted to hospital with COVID-19 in the last day, including three in intensive care. Most of those weren't fully vaccinated, as is the case with most of the hundreds of more mild new daily infections.
Dube said the province is coming out of a summer where it barely managed to avoid increasing surgery wait lists. Private clinics have stepped in to keep regular surgeries going through the fourth wave.
But he indicated Tuesday that Quebec is now at a critical juncture now. Quebec is short 4,000 nurses, there are regions of Quebec where the staff shortage is so low -- in Abitibi, for example -- that authorities there will have to close an emergency room in order to preserve other services.
All strains on the system are exacerbated by COVID-19, and unvaccinated patients are much more likely to need hospital care than the vaccinated.
The hospital network in Montreal and other regions can't afford, staffing-wise, to take care of these patients without forcing others to postpone urgent operations, Dubé said.
Watch the video above to see his comments.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Western University researchers unlock potential 'cure' for ALS
New research out of London, Ont.'s Western University is shedding light on a potential cure for ALS, in which the targeting of the interaction between two proteins can halt or fully reverse the disease's progression.
Police release 3D images of young child found in an Ontario river two years ago
Police have released a three-dimensional image of a young child whose remains were discovered in the Grand River in Dunnville, Ont. almost two years ago.
B.C. brings in law on name changes on day that child killer's new identity revealed
The BC NDP have tabled legislation aimed at stopping people who have committed certain heinous acts from changing their names.
Kamala Harris drops F-bomb during White House live-stream
U.S. Vice-President Kamala Harris used a profanity on Monday while offering advice to young Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders about how to break through barriers.
B.C. man fighting for refund after finding someone living at Whistler vacation rental
Edwin Mostered spent thousands of dollars booking a vacation home in Whistler, B.C., for a group skiing trip earlier this year – or so he thought.
Avs forward Valeri Nichushkin suspended at least six months
Colorado Avalanche forward Valeri Nichushkin was suspended for at least six months without pay and placed in Stage 3 of the league's player assistance program.
Collapsed Baltimore bridge span comes down with a boom after crews set off chain of explosives
Crews conducted a controlled demolition Monday to break down the largest remaining span of the collapsed Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore.
Security video caught admitted serial killer disposing of bodies in Winnipeg garbage bins
Security video caught admitted serial killer Jeremy Skibicki on multiple late-night outings, disposing of body parts in nearby garbage bins and dumpsters in the middle of the night.
Mortgage companies could intensify the next recession, U.S. officials warn
U.S. officials worry the next recession could be intensified by a cascading series of failures in the mortgage industry caused by crashing home prices, frozen financial markets and soaring delinquencies.