Hospitalizations jumped by 20 from Wednesday to Thursday. There are 70 people in intensive care.
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Updated throughout the day on Thursday, Sept. 9.
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Questions/comments: kthomas@postmedia.com
Top updates:
- Hospitalizations in Quebec to increase, notably in Montreal and surrounding areas: Projections
- Quebec reports 703 cases, one death
- Biden expected to mandate vaccines for federal workers Thursday
- Israel’s COVID-19 surge shows world what’s coming next
- Opinions on mandatory vaccination divided among childcare workers: Survey
12:45 p.m.
Hospitalizations to increase in Quebec, notably in Montreal and surrounding areas: Projections
Projections from L’Institut national d’excellence en santé et en services sociaux (INESSS) released Thursday suggest an increase in new hospitalizations in Quebec as a whole, but that hospitals will not exceed capacity over the next two to three weeks.
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The situation differs regionally, however, in Montreal and its neighbouring regions, where intensive care occupancy rates are expected to increase. These areas represent 80 per cent of the province’s hospitalizations.
“This increase could be more marked in intensive care and more in the regions of Montreal and Laval,” INESSS said.
COVID-19 case numbers increased by 23 per cent over the past week. Of the new cases, INESSS says 146 are at high risk of hospitalization, including 51 in intensive care. The number of hospitalizations in Quebec has increased by 40 per cent over the past week.
12 p.m.
Alberta doctors warn of health system collapse as COVID-19 cases climb
A group of physicians is warning Alberta’s health-care system is on the verge of collapse, and is pleading with the government to implement stricter public health guidelines amid the fourth wave of the pandemic.
Emergency room physician Dr. Shazma Mithani said a staffing crisis, overwhelmed ICUs and mixed messaging from the province has created a “dire” situation.
Read more here.
11:15 a.m.
Quebec adds vaccine status of intensive care patients to daily COVID-19 updates
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11 a.m.
Quebec reports 703 cases, one death
Quebec reported 703 new cases of COVID-19 Thursday, bringing the total number of cases since the start of the pandemic to 395,155. Of them, 5,837 are active.
One more person has died from the virus in Quebec, bringing the death toll to 11,297.
Hospitalizations in the province jumped by 20 from Wednesday to Thursday and there are now 198 people receiving treatment for COVID-19 in Quebec hospitals. Of them, 70 are in intensive care, which is one fewer than Wednesday.
Quebec reported that it analyzed 25,410 samples Tuesday (Quebec reports its daily testing figures from two days prior).
The province administered another 23,737 doses of COVID-19 vaccine in the past 24 hours, for a total of 12,543,668 since the campaign began.
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10:45 a.m.
Biden expected to mandate vaccines for federal workers, with no testing option
The Washington Post is reporting that U.S. President Joe Biden is expected to sign an order Thursday requiring all federal workers to be vaccinated, with no option of regular testing as an alternative.
The rule would affect around 2.1 million workers.
Biden is scheduled for 5 p.m. remarks that are expected to be significant and a turning point for the U.S. in the battle against COVID-19, the Post says.
10:30 a.m.
Pro-China social media campaign expands to new countries, blames U.S. for COVID
From Reuters:
A misinformation campaign on social media in support of Chinese government interests has expanded to new languages and platforms, and it even tried to get people to show up to protests in the United States, researchers said on Wednesday.
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Experts at security company FireEye and Alphabet’s Google said the operation was identified in 2019 as running hundreds of accounts in English and Chinese aimed at discrediting the Hong Kong democracy movement. The effort has broadened its mission and spread from Twitter, Facebook and Google to thousands of handles on dozens of sites around the world.
This expansion suggests Chinese interests have made a deeper commitment to the sort of international propaganda techniques Russia has used for several years, experts said.
False information about COVID-19 has been a major focus. For example, accounts on social networking sites vKontakte, LiveJournal and elsewhere in Russian, German, Spanish and other languages have asserted that the novel coronavirus emerged in the United States before China and that it was developed by the U.S. military.
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Read more here.
10 a.m.
Israel’s COVID-19 surge shows the world what’s coming next
The country that was once predicted to be the first to vaccinate its entire population is now one of the world’s biggest hotspots for COVID-19.
Since April, the country has fallen from first to 33rd in Bloomberg’s vaccine tracker of populations considered fully vaccinated.
Cases climbed over the summer, reaching an all-time high of 11,316 daily cases on Sept. 2. Hospitalizations, however, are fewer than they were during previous waves. They peaked at 751 at the end of August, compared with 1,183 in mid-January, and are now trending downward.
Case numbers have risen because of infections among the unvaccinated, notably children. There were also breakthrough infections in those who have been vaccinated, and vaccine efficacy dropped.
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Read more here.
9:30 a.m.
Opinions on mandatory vaccination divided among child-care workers: Union survey
A study by the union representing the majority of childcare workers in Quebec illustrates division on mandatory vaccination, the Fédération de la santé et des services sociaux (FSSS-CSN) said in a news release Thursday.
The survey found that while most workers are vaccinated, they want education and awareness to convince their colleagues to get their shots. Many fear what impact the measure could have on staff shortages in childcare centres.
Nearly half (5,477) of the union’s 11,000 workers responded to the survey. It showed:
- 81 per cent are fully vaccinated, while 12 per cent are not
- 73 per cent of those who received both doses want their colleagues to do the same
- 57 per cent of respondents are in favour of mandatory vaccination
- 68 per cent of fully-vaccinated respondents are in favour of mandatory vaccination
- 98 per cent of unvaccinated respondents are against mandatory vaccination
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“Since the start of the pandemic, we have stepped up interventions to ensure the protection of our members in childcare centres and in all the sectors that we represent,” said FSSS-CSN president Jeff Begley. “If we encourage our members to get vaccinated, it should be understood that the obligation carries significant risks. Vaccination alone cannot do everything to protect workers and toddlers. We must ensure that all means are taken to ensure protection in the workplace.”
9:15 a.m.
A guide to Quebec’s COVID-19 vaccine passport
Quebec’s vaccine passport is mandatory for people 13 and older who want to access services and activities deemed non-essential by the provincial government, including bars, restaurants, gyms, festivals and sporting events.
Though the passport came into effect Sept. 1, no penalties will be issued for the first two weeks. Quebecers will be able to use a smartphone app to prove their vaccination status or simply carry their QR code on paper.
Quebecers can download the app from Apple’s App Store and Google Play.
We have published two guides to the passports – one looks at how to download and set up the app, and another answers key questions about the system, including how, when and why.
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9:15 a.m.
A guide to COVID-19 vaccinations in Quebec
Local health authorities have set up mass vaccination sites across Montreal.
You can book appointments via the Clic Santé website or by phone at 1-877-644-4545.
Quebecers can also visit walk-in AstraZeneca, Moderna and Pfizer vaccine clinics.
Here are the nuts and bolts of getting vaccinated, by Katherine Wilton. Her guide includes the age groups targeted, how to book appointments, and addresses of vaccination centres.
Two private sites can also help you book appointments:
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9:15 a.m.
Here are the current pandemic restrictions in Montreal and Quebec
We are regularly updating our list of what services are open, closed or modified in Montreal and Quebec, including information on the curfew and other lockdown measures.
9:15 a.m.
Here’s where Montrealers can get tested today
Montrealers can be screened at test centres across the island.
You can check screening clinic wait times here.
8:30 a.m.
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COVID-19 live updates: Quebec reports 703 new cases, one death - Montreal Gazette
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