COVID-19: Hospitals stable, report says

Quebec reported 952 new cases of COVID-19 on Friday, 1,064 on Saturday and 965 on Sunday, bringing the total number of people infected to 106,981. The province also reported 59 new deaths, 16 of which occurred over the weekend and 43 added from recent weeks, bringing the total deaths in Quebec to 6,272.
The number of hospitalizations currently stands at 496, with 84 patients in intensive care.
The Estrie region reported 46 new cases on Friday, 40 on Saturday and 26 new COVID-19 cases on Sunday, bringing the local total to 2,733.
On Friday the Institut national d’excellence en santé et en services sociaux (INESSS) published two reports to support decision-makers and managers in the health and social services network. The reports are produced on a weekly basis for the health network.
The report on hospitalization risks shows that among the new cases confirmed during the week of Oct. 19 to 25, 319 are at high risk of hospitalization (compared to 358 the previous week), similar to the average over the last four weeks.
The number of new cases is down slightly from the previous week (6,564 versus 6,918). The decrease includes all age groups and comorbidity profiles.
According to the hospital needs projection report, Quebec as a whole is trending towards a stabilization of new hospitalizations. If the transmission rate remains constant, the number of patients hospitalized could remain stable or even decrease.
Based on the data collected up to Oct. 25, 2020, projections do not anticipate that hospital capacities dedicated to COVID-19 will be exceeded over the next four weeks.
However, the INESSS pointed out there are certain limitations related to these projections.
While the models are generally robust, the accuracy deteriorates over time, and more markedly beyond the third week. Also, beyond bed availability, other factors also influence hospital capacity, including the availability of staff and equipment.
Both reports are available on the INESSS website in the COVID-19/Hospitalization Risks and Projections of Hospital Needs section. They are updated weekly to inform decision-making.
All of the Institute’s publications can be found on its website: www.inesss.qc.ca.

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