Another 98 Quebecers die due to COVID-19 as hospitalizations decrease

Quebec seeing end of 5th COVID-19 wave Dr. Christopher Labos explains whether Quebec is seeing the end of the fifth COVID-19 wave despite there being a new sub-variant of Omicron.

An additional 98 Quebecers have died due to COVID-19, a total of 12,639 since the start of the pandemic.

However, officials note there are 14 fewer Quebecers in hospital to be treated for the virus, with 3,411 people currently occupying beds.

Intensive care admissions remain stable, with 285 people receiving care.

Of the new hospitalizations, 18 are under the age of four (an age group not eligible for vaccination), 93 are unvaccinated or received their first dose less than 14 days ago, 11 have one dose of vaccine, 151 received their second dose of vaccine more than seven days ago and 79 received their third dose more than seven days ago.

Quebec Health Minister Christian Dubé points out vaccination does not completely prevent infection, but it does decrease the risk of dire consequences.

The province's seven-day average is now 6,175.

On Jan. 18, a total of 43,139 samples were analyzed.

Quebec is reporting 6,528 new recorded COVID-19 cases, bringing the total number of people infected to 818,947 since the start of the pandemic.

Public health officials note the actual number of new infections is probably much higher as they have asked people with mild symptoms to stay home and isolate to give those in high-risk groups access to PCR testing.

VACCINATION CAMPAIGN

Quebec's health care professionals administered 110,351 more vaccinations in the province; 104,205 doses in the last 24 hours and 6,146 doses before Jan. 19 for a total of 16,801,574 doses.

Outside Quebec, 263,787 doses were given, for a cumulative total of 17,065,361.

As of Jan. 19, a total of 7,338,819 Quebecers, or 90 per cent of the eligible population aged five and up, have received their first dose of a vaccine and 6,717,855 people, or 82 per cent, have received two.

Of those eligible for a third dose, 2,942,947 Quebecers, or 36 per cent, have received it.

VARIANT TRACKER

The Institut national de santé publique du Québec (INSPQ) did not update the number of new variant cases Thursday morning.

The data current stand at 6,701 Omicron (B.1.1.529), 33,309 Delta (B.1.167.2), as well as 45,665 Alpha (B.1.1.7), 460 Bêta (B.1.351) and 610 Gamma (P.1).