Quebec Just Reported Over 14,000 New COVID-19 Cases For The First Time

For the third day in a row, Quebec has broken its record for new COVID-19 cases, reporting 14,188 new infections on December 30. This is the first time the province has surpassed the 14,000 daily case mark. It broke the 13,000 case barrier in its December 29 report and the 12,000 case mark on December 28.

There were 939 total hospitalizations as of December 29, a net increase of 135. 138 people were in intensive care, an increase of 16.

Nine more people have died.

Experts have warned, however, that official case counts are likely unreliable in part because of the introduction of rapid at-home testing.

Epidemiologist and Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health doctoral candidate Prativa Baral told MTL Blog last week that the numbers we have represent "an undercount."

"Our testing capacity is maxed out," Baral said, "so we're not actually seeing what's happening with the case numbers."

Meanwhile, Premier François Legault is holding a 5 p.m. Thursday press conference alongside Health Minister Christian Dubé and National Public Health Director Dr. Horacio Arruda. Reports from La Presse and Radio-Canada suggest officials are considering a new curfew.

In Montreal, the last nightly curfew lasted almost five months, from January 9 to May 28, 2021.

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 have been limited to six people since December 26.

This is a developing story. Check back for more details.