COVID-19 infections in Quebec have peaked, says François Legault

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Prime Minister François Legault announced good news for Quebecers on Thursday, saying the province has reached a peak in the number of COVID-19 infections and that will allow children to return to school on Monday.

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In addition, the curfew will be lifted from 10:00 p.m. to 5:00 a.m., also starting Monday, he said. However, as of January 24, the vaccination passport will be mandatory in large stores such as Costco, Walmart and Canadian Tire. Small stores and common areas of shopping centers will not be affected by the measure.

“I almost hesitate to say this, but we have good news,” Legault said during a news conference. “We are finally seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. There is a confirmation among the experts that the number of cases has stabilized, and according to the experts, we reached the peak a few days ago.”

Legault said that due to the apparent stabilization in the current wave of the virus, the new Director of Public Health, Dr. Luc Boileau, said it is safe for children to return to school starting Monday.

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He noted that 90 percent of high school students have received two doses of vaccines, while 60 percent of elementary students have received their first doses. He added that the Omicron variant does not appear to have serious effects in children. Additionally, teachers were prioritized to receive their third dose last month, and masks will be required for all students when at school.

Legault stressed that children face far greater risks of mental health, dropping out of school and other complications from staying home for an extended period of time than they do from going back to school.

“Take the opportunity to see your friends and teachers again,” Legault said, addressing the students. “We hope to be able to return to organized sports participation soon.”

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Some details on the back-to-school protocol have already been announced, but Education Minister Jean-François Roberge is expected to brief the public on all the details on Friday, which will include the use of rapid test kits. Roberge, who was also at the news conference, added that parents could be called in to fill in when teachers are home sick and no replacements can be found.

“We are not asking parents to become teachers or even substitutes,” he said. “It is possible that, as a last resort, a parent could come in to temporarily supervise a class.”

Legault said that the improvement in the epidemiological situation shows that the restrictions imposed in December have had an effect. However, he admitted that the number of hospitalizations could still continue to rise for a few more days.

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“This weekend could possibly be the most difficult weekend since the start of the pandemic,” he said.

With a record number of hospitalizations and an estimated 15,000 health care workers sidelined by the virus, reporters greeted Legault’s news of a spike in cases with skepticism. They noted that the province no longer has the capacity to test everyone with symptoms because many cases are not reported to the central health authority. Furthermore, Legault’s announcement came just hours after the Institut national d’excellence en santé et services sociaux announced that it could no longer accurately predicts the number of hospitalizations for the next few days or weeks, due to the high number of cases is unknown.

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The Institut national de santé publique du Québec (INSPQ) and the Research Group in Mathematical Modeling and Health Economics Related to Infectious Diseases at Université Laval announced Thursday that simulations show that a peak in the virus may have been reached, or that will be reached in the next few days. . However, that was only half of the simulations performed. The other half showed cases and new hospitalizations would continue to rise for a few more days or weeks.”

Pressed by reporters on the matter, Boileau repeatedly stood by his claim that the peak had been reached, eventually admitting that while hospitalizations are forecast to plateau, it’s not yet a sure thing.

“We see that there is a kind of plateau,” he said. “It is not a certainty, and we could expect this to increase. We do not confirm that the peak has been reached. We just wait for it. We have to wait to confirm it.

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“We think there could be in the near future a confirmation that the peak was reached a few days ago for infections and (a peak will be reached) for hospitalizations in the near future.”

However, there are some positive signs, Health Minister Christian Dubé said, as health workers appear to be returning to work. The number of people out of work due to COVID has dropped to 15,000 this week from 20,000 last week.

Boileau said the biggest concern for health authorities is the high number of people hospitalized, which has forced many surgeries and other procedures to be canceled or delayed.

While some experts expressed concern that reopening schools would lead to higher infection rates among the general population and an even higher rate of hospitalization, Boileau disagreed. He said the rise in infections in schools simply “reflects what’s going on in the community” and doesn’t cause a significantly higher rate of infections.

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When asked why Legault was pushing so hard for schools to reopen and whether it had something to do with a recent poll showing his popularity had dropped after his response to the virus, Legault said that was never a consideration.

“I said (in December) that I’m not here to win a popularity contest,” Legault said. “I am here to try to protect Quebecers and put in place the best measures, taking into account science and what public health tells us.”

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