The most recent data on COVID-19 in Quebec confirms that seniors remain the most vulnerable to the novel coronavirus pandemic, even though their demographic represents a smaller proportion of cases during the second wave of the health crisis.
The study carried out by Quebec’s national public health institute (INSPQ) shows that so far people aged 60 and above accounted for 29.7 per cent of confirmed cases but represent 98.7 per cent of deaths linked to the pandemic.
The most recent statistics show that 86.7 per cent of people admitted to hospital in Quebec due to the pandemic were above the age of 60. Those aged 60 to 69 alone made up over one-third of the admissions to intensive care units.
A comparison of data between the first and second wave of the health crisis shows younger people are making up a higher proportion of cases.
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During the peak of the first wave, people under the age of 60 accounted for 63.3 per cent of the 1,102 new cases reported within a 24-hour period on April 15.
On Oct. 3, the province reported 1,166 new COVID-19 infections. People under the age of 60 accounted for 82.6 per cent — and 38.8 per cent of them were under the age of 30.
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The biggest statistical difference between the first and second waves of COVID-19, however, is the total number of deaths recorded in a 24-hour period.
The INSPQ says the highest one-day death toll of the first wave was 152 deaths on April 29. During the second wave, the highest tally of fatalities over a 24-period so far has been 13, which was reported on Sept. 30.
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When it comes to gender, data shows that 55.8 per cent of cases affected women while men made up 44.2 per cent in Quebec.
In Quebec, women made up 54.8 per cent of deaths while men accounted for 45.2 per cent. A larger discrepancy was noted for victims over the age of 90, with the majority of them being women. There were 1,361 deaths among women and 630 among men.
However, even though the pandemic has so far sent about as many men as women to hospital, 63.3 per cent of those requiring intensive care admissions have been men, compared to 36.7 per cent of women.
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