Increase in COVID-19 hospitalizations not expected to overwhelm Quebec hospitals in the short term: report – Montreal

COVID-19-related hospitalizations are expected to increase across Quebec but are not expected to exceed dedicated capacity over the next two to three weeks, a government health research institute said Thursday.

About 80% of new hospitalizations related to COVID-19 will occur in the Montreal area and surrounding areas, the National Institute of Excellence in Health and Social Services said in a report. But the increase in the number of COVID-19 patients is not expected to exceed capacity in the short term, he added.

The large northern suburb of Montreal, Laval, is currently the most affected region in Quebec, with 171.3 active cases per 100,000 inhabitants, followed by Montreal, with 99.2 active cases per 100,000 inhabitants. There are 67.9 active cases per 100,000 population in the province.

Meanwhile, a separate report from the institute found that the number of new daily cases of COVID-19 in long-term care homes across Quebec declined by 90% after the administration of the first doses of COVID-vaccines. 19 to residents.

The average number of new daily cases in long-term care facilities fell from 58 in December 2020 to five between February 19 and March 6, two weeks after most workers and residents received a first dose of COVID-19 vaccine.

The vaccination program has also led to a drop in the number of deaths in long-term care facilities. In December 2020, there were an average of 16 COVID-19 deaths per day in the province’s long-term care network, but that number fell to one on average between February 19 and March 6, according to the report.

“Ultimately, the big gains in terms of reduced cases, hospitalizations and deaths occurred before the administration of the second dose of vaccine,” the report says.

The report found similar declines in the number of new cases and deaths in private seniors’ residences.

2:13Concerns abound over COVID-19 ‘unvaccinated pandemic’

The first steps in Quebec’s COVID-19 vaccination campaign targeted residents of long-term care centers and seniors’ residences, which accounted for eight percent of COVID-19 infections in the province and 78 percent disease-related deaths.

Earlier Thursday, Quebec reported 703 new cases of COVID-19 and one additional death from the disease. The health ministry said the number of hospitalizations rose by 20, to 198, while 70 people were in intensive care, a drop of one from the previous day.

About 88 percent of residents 12 years of age and older have received at least one dose of vaccine and 82.5 percent are considered adequately immunized.

According to the Ministry of Health, 31 people were admitted to hospital on Wednesday while 11 COVID-19 patients were discharged from the hospital. He said 21 of the new patients were not vaccinated against COVID-19 or had received their first dose less than 14 days earlier.

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