Quebec Announced A COVID-19 Press Conference As Cases & Hospitalizations Go Up 'Rapidly'
The eve of 2022 feels a lot like 2020...
Health Minister Christian Dubé will hold a 1 p.m. press conference on Tuesday, December 28* to discuss the COVID-19 situation in Quebec. The government's pandemic management point person, Daniel Paré, and National Public Health Director Dr. Horacio Arruda will also be in attendance, according to a media advisory.
UPDATE: For updates from the press conference, refer to this article and this article.
EARLIER: The news of the upcoming press conference recalls earlier days in the pandemic when amid rising cases and hospitalizations, Quebecers held their collective breath as officials prepared consequential announcements. It's a reminder of how much and how little has changed as we head into the pandemic's third calendar year.
Avec le ministre de la sant\u00e9 @cdube_sante et le directeur de la sant\u00e9 publique @ArrudaHoracio.\nIls feront un point de presse demain \u00e0 13h.\nLe nombre de cas et d'hospitalisations augmentent rapidement.\nHeureusement, l'augmentation aux soins intensifs est moins grande.pic.twitter.com/4J3szZXIkY— Fran\u00e7ois Legault (@Fran\u00e7ois Legault) 1640649582
On Twitter, Premier François Legault shared a screenshot of his own meeting Monday with the doctor and minister. He highlighted "rapidly increasing" hospitalizations but said intensive care units have "fortunately" not seen as great an increase in the number of patients.
Quebec reported a total of 614 hospitalizations on December 27, an increase of 141 since the last government report on December 23. 109 people were in intensive care, up from 91 on December 22.
The premier has repeatedly stressed that the government's priority is to keep the number of new hospitalizations down. In the past week, officials have announced a flurry of new health restrictions aimed at reducing contacts and new infections.
Bars, gyms, theatres and concert halls are closed and, as of December 26, private indoor gatherings are limited to six people.
"The measures we're announcing [...] we believe that they're enough to keep control of the hospitals," Legault said on December 22.
"But we won't hesitate in the next few days if it is necessary to add other measures. It's important for everybody to understand this."
*This article has been updated.
