Quebec Deputy Premier Geneviève Guilbault and Health Minister Christian Dubé provided an update on the COVID-19 health crisis Monday afternoon, alongside Dr. Richard Massé from the department of public health.
Guilbault started the provincial briefing by saying the situation was “under control in Quebec.”
“We have an increase in daily cases that is relatively stable and we have a good amount of leeway in our hospitals and we continue monitoring the evolution of the situation,” she said.
Despite some stabilization, Guilbaut warned of a worrying trend among young people aged 15 to 34.
“There’s a significant proportion of new cases every day that addresses that age group,” she said, pointing to outbreaks of the novel coronavirus in bars, private gatherings, as well as certain sports and social activities.
For the period of July 8 to the 14, government numbers show a 128 per cent increase in transmission of COVID-19 in the 20 to 29 age group alone.
The concern, according to Guibault, is twofold.
Health authorities worry that young people can become transmission vectors for others who are more vulnerable.
“A young person might contaminate their parents or grandparents,” Guilbault said. “We want to avoid this type of contagion at all costs.”
The second concern pertains to the health of young people themselves.
“It would be wrong to believe that young people are immune or that there are no risks or complications,” Guibault cautioned.
While the proportion of young people dying of COVID-19 is smaller, Guilbault said they suffer long-term consequences of the disease.
“Believe me, you don’t want to end up in a hospital’s intensive care unit,” she said, calling on youth to mobilize in a bid to respect public health guidelines.
“You have the power in your hands to influence how things will go,” she said.
“Please seize it, take it seriously and accept the challenge that we are giving you to become champions of respecting the guidelines and also help others to respect them as well.”
Recommendations include staying two metres apart, wearing masks inside public spaces, on public transit or where the two-metre distance can not be maintained, frequent handwashing and proper respiratory hygiene such as coughing or sneezing in your elbow.
She also reminded Quebecers not to hesitate when it comes to getting tested.
“If you have symptoms, or if you’ve put yourself at risk, go get tested. Screening is available in all regions of Quebec,” Guilbaut said.
While acknowledging a spike in cases among teens and young adults, the government defended its decision to allow indoor and outdoor public gatherings of up to 250 people as of Aug. 3.
The previous maximum had been set at 50.
“We are going progressively as you’ve seen, and since we’ve opened to 50 people in those kinds of settings, we haven’t seen any outbreaks,” said Massé.
“It takes place in places where people drop their guard. It happens within families, within groups, within sports area where you don’t have any social distancing.”
The eased restriction, announced last week, does not apply to gatherings at private residences, where a maximum of 10 people are permitted inside or outside.
On Monday, 145 new cases of COVID-19 were reported, bringing the total caseload in Quebec to 58,728 since the beginning of the pandemic.
Over the last week, infections of COVID-19 have been averaging nearly 160 cases a day, according to provincial figures.
The number of deaths linked to the novel coronavirus remained unchanged at 5,667. It is the second time in less than a week that no new fatalities were reported, the last time being July 22.
The number of patients requiring hospitalization increased by three for a total of 200. Of those, seven are in intensive care, a decrease of three since Sunday.
Health authorities say 50,866 people in Quebec have recovered from the virus.
— With files from Global’s Alessia Maratta and Kalina Laframboise
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