Regardless of a current rise in COVID-19 circumstances, Well being Minister Christian Dubé says no areas will probably be moved to a extra heightened state of alert underneath the province’s new colour-coded system.
Quebec reported 251 circumstances on Thursday, in addition to an extra 248 that had beforehand gone unreported in Montreal.
However Dubé introduced no measures aside from banning the sale of alcohol after midnight in any respect institutions, together with eating places.
Earlier this week, he stated bars couldn’t serve alcohol after midnight, even when individuals had been ordering meals.
“We should do issues accurately. Earlier than doing that we should monitor the scenario nicely and depend on proof,” he stated Thursday.
Dubé as soon as once more urged the general public to observe well being pointers, notably because the weekend approaches.
There will probably be an elevated police presence in yellow zones to make sure individuals are in compliance, he stated.
The elevated unfold of the virus, and rising concern among the many public, has led to an elevated demand for testing. The province has performed upward of 25,000 each day checks in current days.
Dubé stated the wait occasions, which have been as much as 4 or 5 hours in some circumstances, have been “unacceptable.”
However he stated regional well being authorities are quick on medical workers, and different important providers danger being compromised if too many sources are dedicated to testing.
He stated he is hopeful some components of the province will, within the coming weeks, be downgraded to inexperienced, the bottom degree underneath the alert system.
The development in some components of the province, nevertheless, does not look good.
In Montreal, Dr. Mylène Drouin, the town’s public well being director, stated the beforehand unreported circumstances had been recorded between Sept. 9 and Sept. 14.
She blamed the delay on the elevated calls for on her staff.
She stated the rise of circumstances has meant they’ve needed to contact extra individuals and that created a backlog in inputting knowledge.
One of many outbreaks was at Herzliah Excessive College in Montreal. The Jewish non-public faculty grew to become the primary within the province to close down after a number of college students contracted COVID-19.
In Quebec Metropolis, one in all the areas with the most important leap in circumstances, at the very least seven sufferers and one other seven workers on the native cardiology institute contracted the virus, and a number of other extra are in isolation.
The variety of individuals in hospital and intensive care has crept up, as nicely, however stays low. There are presently 136 individuals in hospital (a rise of six), together with 29 in intensive care (a rise of three).
Dr. Horacio Arruda, the province’s public well being director, stated these numbers are prone to enhance over time if the virus continues to unfold locally.
The province’s colour-coded alert system has turn into a key a part of the province’s messaging because it was launched earlier this month.
However particulars stay hazy on the distinctions between the varied ranges. A doc made public earlier this week provided some perception into what dwelling in an orange or purple zone would seem like — however Dubé stated the main points of that plan had been outdated.
Janusz Kaczorowski, a professor and analysis director within the division of emergency and household medication at Université de Montréal, stated the brand new colour-coded system lacks specifics.
“It does not actually inform us what is going on to occur if it is yellow or orange or purple,” he stated.
“I believe for these measures to be efficient, they must be way more particular by way of spelling out precisely what we count on individuals to do, how we’ll restrict the quantity of huge gatherings, or how we’ll impression on openings of bars, eating places and so forth.”
