Quebec is hoping to control the potential spread of variants of the novel coronavirus by urging the public to be tested as soon as they experience any symptoms associated with COVID-19.
Health Minister Christian Dubé says there are eight confirmed cases of the U.K. variant in the province and that the government is closely monitoring the situation.
“The best way to face these variants is the minute you have certain symptoms, go get tested,” he said.
There are concerns about spread, he added, and that’s why they are asking people — especially those with children in school — to be vigilant as well. In parallel with sequencing and lab analysis, health authorities are focused on quickly screening, testing and tracing variant cases.
“The more we are able to detect our positive cases, the more we are able to trace them,” Dubé said. “This is how we can control the spread of the virus.”
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Dubé noted that health authorities have not identified other variants — such as from Brazil or South Africa — in Quebec so far.
The government’s plea to Quebecers to be screened comes as the province readies to reopen non-essential businesses next week with COVID-19 indicators slowly decreasing. The province is also lifting more restrictions in six regions that aren’t as hard hit by the pandemic.
Quebec reported 1,101 new cases and 33 additional deaths, including seven in the last 24 hours, on Friday.
The province has seen 267,773 cases over the course of the pandemic. Meanwhile, 245,339 recoveries have been reported.
The health crisis has claimed the lives of 9,973 Quebecers. The death toll, however, was amended to withdraw one fatality after an investigation by health authorities found the person’s death wasn’t due to COVID-19.
The latest numbers show that hospitalizations related to the virus are continuing to drop. There are 1,040 patients in hospital, a decrease of 30 from the previous day. Of them, seven fewer patients are in intensive care units for a total of 168.
The province’s latest screening information shows 31,482 tests were given Wednesday. Over the course of the health crisis, 6,018,739 tests have been administered.
When it comes to vaccinations, Quebec gave 4,140 doses Thursday. To date, 248,673 vaccines have been administered.
Dubé said the province is “ready” to ramp up inoculations once there are more vaccines available, but there has been a dwindling supply of vaccines amid shipment delays.
Amid a lack of supply, he also called for the Canadian government to lay out the details of its negotiations with vaccine manufacturers.
“We’re in the black, in the dark,” he said. “So at least what we ask the federal government for now is to be transparent in what was negotiated.”
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said on Friday that Canada will have received the six million doses promised by Moderna and Pfizer by March 31 and that tens of millions more doses will follow.
— With files from The Canadian Press