Quebec says 20K health-care workers off job from COVID-19 as hospitalizations reach record levels | Globalnews.ca

Quebec announced new public health measures Thursday aimed at encouraging non-vaccinated Quebecers to get their first shot of a COVID-19 vaccine.

As of Jan. 18, a vaccine passport will be required to access SAQ and SQDC stores that sell alcohol and cannabis products.

Quebec Health Minister Christian Dubé made the announcement in Montreal as pandemic-related hospitalizations continue to skyrocket.

Dubé said proof of vaccination will also be required to access non-essential businesses providing personal care services. A date of when the new rule will come into effect has yet to be determined as discussions are ongoing with service industry providers.

Dubé said he hopes the new measures will act as an incentive for the non-vaccinated to get vaccinated.

Ultimately, though Dubé said it was about protecting the non-vaccinated against themselves and protecting the health network.

The government also plans on making three doses a requirement to qualify for a vaccine passport and be considered adequately vaccinated.

That new measure, however, won’t come into effect right away to give people the time to get their booster shot.

Dubé reiterated he’s aware of the sacrifices made by Quebecers.

“I know it’s not easy but it’s necessary,” he said.

On Thursday, Quebec reported 415 new COVID-19 patients were admitted to hospital while 212 were discharged for an increase of 203 over the previous day. Of the record 1,953 people now in hospital for COVID-19 in Quebec, 207 are in intensive care.

The previous high for hospitalizations at one time during the pandemic was 1,866 back in May, 2020.

The Health Ministry’s Dr. Lucie Opatrny said hospital beds are very disproportionately occupied by the unvaccinated in Quebec. Unvaccinated people in their 20s, 30s, 40s are being hospitalized while people in the same age groups who are vaccinated, are not.

Dubé said modelling predictions released earlier in the day by the Institut national d’excellence en santé et en services sociaux (INESSS) show COVID-19 hospitalizations for regular beds could go surpass 3,000 patients in just two weeks, while intensive care beds could top 400.

“We’re seeing not only an increase of sick people in hospital on a daily basis, but we’re seeing that we’re loosing personnel every day,” he said. “It’s the worst combination possible.”

An estimated 20,000 health-care workers are currently off the job because of COVID-19.

Dubé said discussions are ongoing with the various health worker unions to find solutions that would allow to increase COVID-19 hospital beds by 1,000.

While the situation is worrisome, as the number of new infections has yet to plateau and the province is seeing positivity rates of 30 per cent, Dubé said there is hope.

Modelling predictions have not taken into account the new measures put in place before the New Year, such as curfew, because it’s too soon for them to have had an impact.

Officials are reporting 15,874 new cases today and 26 more deaths attributed to the novel coronavirus.

To date, Quebec has recorded 5696,182 infections, 567,715 recoveries and 11,846 deaths.

— With files from Global News’ Dan Spector and The Canadian Press

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