COVID-19: Quebec and Ottawa discuss federal support for vaccination

Quebec’s Deputy Prime Minister Geneviève Guilbault had asked the Canadian government to help boost the province’s vaccination campaign last week.

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The federal government will help Quebec with its COVID-19 vaccination campaign, Emergency Preparedness Minister Bill Blair announced Tuesday.

Last week, Quebec Deputy Prime Minister Geneviève Guilbault had asked the federal government to deploy the Canadian Armed Forces, along with other organizations, to help the province with mass vaccination.

Guilbault had said the help was needed as Quebec grapples with a surge in cases that threatens to overwhelm the province’s health network.

On Tuesday, Blair tweeted that Quebec’s request for assistance was accepted.

“Our officials are engaging with their provincial counterparts to clarify specific needs, and we will share more details as they are confirmed,” Blair wrote.

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Previously, the Canadian military was deployed during the first wave of the pandemic to assist Quebec’s long-term care centers at the height of the crisis.

During a press conference Tuesday, Quebec Health Minister Christian Dubé announced that the province will gradually extend the third dose campaign to all adults throughout January.

Dubé also said that around 7,000 healthcare workers have been absent from work due to COVID-19, a number that he said will increase in the coming days. As a result, under certain conditions, some healthcare workers who have tested positive for COVID-19 will be asked to return to work.

Quebec reported a record 12,833 new COVID-19 cases on Tuesday and an additional 15 deaths.

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