COVID-19 in Quebec: what you need to know this weekend | CBC News

• On Wednesday, Quebec reported 1,562 people in hospital (a decrease of 37 from the previous day), including 53 in intensive care (an increase of five from the previous day).
• The province reported 626 new cases of COVID-19 and 14 deaths.
• Since the start of the pandemic there have been 1,060,045 confirmed cases, and 15,326 people have died.
• The province also reported 5,039 health workers absent for COVID-related reasons.
• 91% of the province’s eligible population (five years and older) have received at least one dose of the vaccine; 55 percent have received a third dose and 13 percent have received a fourth dose.

*New cases are those reported to the Quebec government only. They are believed to be an underrepresentation of the spread of the virus, given the limited availability of PCR tests and the use of home test kits.

*The Quebec Ministry of Health no longer reports COVID-19 numbers over the weekend.

Quebec Health Minister Christian Dubé says he stands by a senior health official singled out in a forensic report on the first wave of deaths released earlier this week for being unaware of serious problems in a private residence for the elderly.

Dubé said an investigation he ordered into what happened at Manoir Liverpool in Lévis showed that Daniel Paré, the head of the regional health board at the time, did not know about the allegations of neglect at the retirement home.

Quebec medical examiner Géhane Kamel, who led an investigation into the first wave of deaths in group living settings and published a 200 page report Summarizing his findings earlier this week, he wrote that it was surprising to hear that Paré was unaware that the Manoir Liverpool had experienced staffing problems and a lack of services for years. These got worse when the pandemic hit.

“For me it is impossible, impossible that he did not know. If in truth [Paré] I wasn’t aware, we have a serious problem,” Kamel told reporters.

Dubé said he agreed with Kamel that Paré should have known, but suggested it was the health system’s bureaucracy to blame. He said he agrees with all 23 recommendations in the coroner’s report and that several have already been implemented since he took office last year.

Kamel called on the province to find ways to make its health system respond faster in times of crisis, saying the current structure leaves too great a distance between the ministry bureaucrats issuing the guidelines and the people working on the ground.

Montreal lifts state of emergency

The city of Montreal formally lifted its COVID-19 state of emergency on Thursday.

The state of emergency, the second to be declared in Montreal during the pandemic, had been in effect since last December.

The city said the improving COVID-19 situation, coupled with high vaccination rates, means it no longer needs emergency powers.

Plante said in December that the state of emergency would be used to quickly procure protective equipment for the city’s essential workers and prepare sites and facilities to accommodate Montreal’s homeless population.

Quebec’s mask mandate is over

Quebec was the first province in Canada to impose mandatory mask wearing after the COVID-19 pandemic hit, and on Saturday became the latest province to allow residents to go mask-free in most closed public places. .

Quebecers no longer have to wear masks in most indoor public spaces. The province’s mandatory mask mandate had been in place since July 2020, for a total of 21 consecutive months.

Most indoor spaces in a Quebecer’s daily life no longer require a mask, including grocery stores, gyms, and restaurants. Masks will still be required on public transport and in hospital settings. The Health Ministry said on Friday that taxis are considered public transport and passengers will require masks.

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