Quebec Has Released Its Scenarios For The COVID-19 Outbreak & Number Of Deaths

• At a press conference Tuesday, public health officials presented their projections for the COVID-19 outbreak in Quebec.
• They presented two scenarios: one optimistic and one pessimistic.
• Visit MTLBlog for more headlines.

Public health officials have just released their models for the COVID-19 outbreak in Quebec, estimating roughly 1,263 to 8,860 deaths in the province by the end of April. Two scenarios were presented: one that estimates 29,212 confirmed cases and another, more pessimistic, which estimates 59,845 confirmed cases.

Despite the numbers, Legault earlier at his daily press conference said that public health officials highlighted the most positive outcome.

Though the government was hesitant to prognosticate on the pandemic, they felt pressured by the demands of both the media and the public.

"Obviously, when we look at the number of deaths predicted, it can be worrying," said Legault. "But the fact remains that so far, we are much closer to the scenarios where the countries have been the best. So, currently, we are in the right direction."

The Ontario government released its own projections last week, estimating that the COVID-19 pandemic could last up to two years. 

The Quebec government, however, remains optimistic. 

As always, Legault and Quebec's public health officials stressed that the public absolutely needs to follow the recommended health and safety regulations to prevent further spread of COVID-19.

Dr. Horacio Arruda has made his opposition to these projections known to journalists in the past. 

"What we observe so far, we are closer to optimism than pessimism," said Dr. Arruda in response to one journalist's question. 

Legault underscored that "if Quebecers want life to gradually return to normal by the month of May, they need to be extremely disciplined in April." 

"All the efforts we have made over the past few weeks should not be wasted by changing for the rest of April. Therefore, it is important to respect the instructions. It is also important not to have gatherings."  

READ ALSO: Quebec Has Announced Several Emergency Financial Aid Programs & Here's How To Apply

As of April 7, the government confirmed 9,340 cases of COVID-19 in Quebec along with 150 deaths. Another 583 people are hospitalized. 

The high number of cases is related to the high number of tests that Quebec has conducted so far, according to government officials. 

However, there's reason to be optimistic as statistics indicate that Quebec is one of the best in the world at social distancing. 

Stay tuned for more news.