By Gordon Lambie
After months of daily updates on COVID-19 statistics, both the provincial and regional public health authorities announced on Friday that they will no longer be providing updated information on weekends and holidays. Instead, this information will be reported as of the next non-holiday weekday.
As of Friday, Quebec reported 88 new cases of the virus province-wide, bringing the total number of people infected since the start of the pandemic to 374,406, with 1,074 active cases. The total number of deaths was listed at11,202, and the number of hospitalizations was at 135, 40 of which were intensive care cases.
In the Eastern Townships Friday was another day of only one reported new case, bringing the total number of cases in the region since the start of the pandemic to 14,880, with 32 active cases. As of that report there were no active cases in the Coaticook or Des Sources sub-regions, and no more than 10 in any one area.
The most recent information on vaccination indicates that 70.6 per cent of the population of Quebec had received a first dose of vaccine as of the end of last week, just under five per cent shy of the province’s original goal of 75 per cent by June 24. Within the part of the population eligible to receive a shot, 80.7 per cent, or just over four out of every five people, had received at least one dose. Second dose coverage, meanwhile, was approaching the one in four mark, with 23.1 per cent considered adequately vaccinated.
