Dubé Had Strong Words For The Unvaccinated & Arruda Said 'Everything Is On The Table'

Either get vaccinated or risk getting sick — that's the message from Health Minister Christian Dubé as Quebec contends with an unprecedented surge in COVID-19 infections. On Tuesday, he asked the unvaccinated to consider the burden they're placing on the health care system.

"You should know that it's largely unvaccinated people who find themselves in intensive care and who are currently fighting for their lives," he said at a press conference.

He told unvaccinated residents that "over the course of the next few months, if the trend of the last few days continues [...] you will either get vaccinated or you will get the disease."

"And to get the disease when you are not vaccinated is to put pointless pressure on our health care system."

Dubé said that for every vaccinated person that's hospitalized because of COVID-19, three unvaccinated people are hospitalized.

And of the more than 12,000 new COVID-19 cases Quebec reported Tuesday, he said around 8,000 were unvaccinated people.

On Tuesday, Dubé announced that Quebec, in some circumstances, will begin allowing essential workers who test positive for the COVID-19 virus to continue working. The minister said the move was necessary "if we want our society to continue to function in a secure manner."

"If we had the personnel that was necessary, we would not have to introduce this measure. But at this time, we have to take very concrete, practical measures."

Officials have still not ruled out the possibility of making vaccination mandatory in the province.

"Everything is on the table," National Public Health Director Dr. Horacio Arruda said at the Tuesday press conference. "This is not our first measure, of course," he continued. "But I'm not closing the door on anything."