Situation in Quebec “worrying” says Dubé

Quebec’s Health Minister, Christian Dubé opened the government’s first live update on the COVID-19
situation in the province by expressing concern about those who have left it, against the advice of provincial and federal public health authorities.
“It is shocking for those who have been following the guidelines,” the Health Minister said, explaining that he has put out a call to the federal government for more intense screening processes at international airports as soon as possible in light of the fact that as many as 3,000 travelers are expected back in the coming days.
Dubé and Public Health Director Dr. Horacio Arruda also touched on the fact that the province has now confirmed its first case of the new strain of the virus that was first detected in the United Kingdom. Arruda shared that the UK strain is one of several mutations that have been detected in various parts of the world and said that while the situation is being monitored closely, there is no indication that the more contagious strain is more deadly.
Dubé, meanwhile, used the vector of travel as reinforcement for is argument that the federal government should be doing more to screen and monitor returning travelers.
Speaking to the situation in the province in general, the health minister called the most recent numbers “worrying” and said that the greater Montreal region is in a particularly critical situation
At the same time, and looking to the coming of New Year’s Eve, he urged people to continue to respect the most recent round of directives, pointing out that each new measure needs to be given time in order to really be effective.
“I would have liked to have been here with better news,” he said.
The Province of Quebec reported 2,381 new cases of COVID-19 on Tuesday, bringing the total number of people infected to 197,311, of which 168,061 have now recovered. The data also reported 64 new deaths, for a total of 8,124. The number of hospitalizations increased by seven compared to the previous day, for a cumulative total of 1,131. Among those, the number of people in intensive care decreased by 2, for a total of 148. Finally, 2,857 doses of vaccine were administered yesterday, for a total of 22,500.
In the Estrie Region there were 73 new cases, bringing the total to 7,610. The local public health department registered four new deaths related to the virus, although the regional total only increased by three due to a clerical error from Dec. 24. Three of the four new deaths were from the non-traditional care facility on Bowen Street in Sherbrooke, while the fourth was from the Youville hospital and care facility. There were 38 hospitalizations out of a capacity of 74, and four out of a maximum of 25 people were in intensive care.

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