Quebec is reporting 419 new cases of COVID-19 on Friday and four more deaths as the province eases public health restrictions aimed at slowing the spread of the virus.
As of Friday, Quebec restaurant patios have reopened, the province’s overnight curfew is being lifted and small backyard gatherings with a maximum of eight people are being allowed.
Quebec Premier Francois Legualt took to social media to thank Quebecers for their efforts and sacrifices over the last 15 months.
“It’s thanks to you that we got through this third wave that has been so devastating elsewhere,” he wrote in French in a Facebook post.
He also credits the province’s vaccine rollout for turning the tide.
“It is the immense mobilization of our nation to vaccinate the most vulnerable in the first months of 2021 that has enabled us to save many lives,” he said.
Legault encouraged everyone to continue getting vaccinated with the first and second doses.
“It’s our passport to freedom,” he said.
To date 5,306,336 doses have been administered, including 101,094 on Thursday.
The number of people requiring hospitalization after contracting COVID-19 was down by nine on Friday for a total of 385.
Of those, 91 are in the intensive care unit, for a decrease of five in the last 24 hours.
The virus has claimed the lives of 11,118 Quebecers since the start of the pandemic. Authorities said of the four fatalities reported Friday, one occurred in the last 24 hours, one between May 21 and 26 and two before May 21.
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Despite declining COVID-19 indicators and the easing of restrictions Legault warned people to remain cautious and continue following public health guidelines.
“Let’s not ruin our summer by slacking off too quickly,” he said.
Quebec’s Institut national de santé publique released models Friday showing a gradual drop in new COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations and deaths in the greater Montreal area — if people stick to the plan.
Marc Brisson, a professor at Université Laval who does modelling for Quebec’s public health institute, said the number of cases could begin to rise again in June — particularly among children and adults not yet vaccinated — if people don’t follow the rules.
The government has said it is particularly worried about private indoor gatherings after the curfew is lifted.
Brisson said the modelling forecasted a rise in hospitalizations if people get ahead of the reopening plan, but added that the estimated rise would be smaller compared with the second wave, which ended in March.
New hospitalizations in the Montreal area could peak at around 30 a day in early July, the models predicted.
The models estimated that the number of COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations in the fall will depend on vaccination rates. If 89 per cent of people over 12 are fully vaccinated, there would be a minimal rise in new cases and hospitalizations when schools reopen.
But if 71 per cent of the population is fully vaccinated by the fall and assuming the number of daily contacts between people are at pre-pandemic levels, then Quebec could be reporting 1,000 new cases a day by October, followed by dozens of new hospitalizations.
“It’s very important to continue to follow the public health measures as we get out of lockdown and to have the highest vaccination coverage possible,” Brisson said. “These two elements will have a big impact on how our summer and September will look.”
— With files from The Canadian Press’ Jacob Serebrin