The Province of Quebec reported 1,038 new cases of COVID-19 on Monday, bringing the total number of people infected to 94,429. The number of deaths increased to 6,044, while the number of hospitalizations increased by five for a cumulative total of 532. Among these, the number of people in intensive care increased by four, for a total of 92.
During an afternoon update, Health Minister Christian Dubé announced that the Joliette and D’Autray MRCs in the Lanaudiere region will be shifting to red alert status as of Thursday because of ongoing community spread.
During his weekly update on the status of the Estrie region, Dr. Alain Poirier shared that the local health services region will remain orange despite a recent increase in cases because the capacity of the system is not overwhelmed.
The Estrie reported 47 new cases on Monday, bringing the regional total to 2,354. There were eight people hospitalized in the region, with no one in intensive care and no new deaths in nearly two weeks.
There are 37 ongoing outbreaks being monitored in the region, although Poirier said that the “sub-region” of greatest concern is the Granit MRC, which includes the communities of Lac Megantic, Stornoway, and Lambton, among others.
The public health director said that a number of measures, including targeted testing, were carried out in those communities over the weekend and added that there was some discussion as to whether to adopt a red alert status just for that MRC. Ultimately, he said that although the area could be seen as “heating up,” the decision was made not to take more drastic steps at this point in time.
More areas turn red, Granit remains “dark orange”
Record Staff