New year, same continuous record-breaking numbers for our province. On January 1, Quebec's daily COVID-19 case count saw the highest number we've seen since the start of the pandemic, reporting 17,122 new infections in the past 24 hours.
For the first time, Quebec announced over 17,000 new daily cases. The previous record was broken the day prior when the province reported 16,461 new cases. This marks five days in a row that Quebec has shattered its daily record.
The province had surpassed the 14,000 daily case mark for the first time on December 30. It broke the 13,000 case barrier in its December 29 report and the 12,000 case mark on December 28.
Experts have warned, however, that official case counts are likely unreliable in part because of the introduction of rapid at-home testing. Prativa Baral, Epidemiologist and Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health doctoral candidate, told MTL Blog last week that the numbers represent "an undercount." Baral stated, "Our testing capacity is maxed out, so we're not actually seeing what's happening with the case numbers."
As of December 31, Quebec now has a province-wide curfew from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m., which the government imposed in hopes of reducing the spread of the virus.
Quebec has already imposed several health measures to curb the spread of the highly-infectious Omicron COVID-19 virus variant. Bars and gyms, among other venues, have been closed since December 20.
Private indoor gatherings are now forbidden, besides with the people in your household.
This article's cover image was used for illustrative purposes only.