Quebec is reporting 784 new cases of COVID-19 on Tuesday and three additional deaths attributed to the virus.
To date, the province has recorded 448,171 infections and 428,679 recoveries bringing the number of active cases to 7,913.
Pandemic-related hospitalizations increased by one in the last day with 227 patients. Of, those, 51 are in intensive care for a jump of six.
On Monday, the province confirmed its first case of the Omicron variant in a person having recently arrived from Nigeria, with another 115 travellers under watch.
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Quebec’s top doctor said the new variant was being monitored to see if it becomes the dominant variant ahead of the Delta variant.
Quebec Health Minister Christian Dubé said the next two weeks will be key in gaining a better understanding on how transmissible Omicron is and the severity of illness it can cause.
Until then, Dubé said he doesn’t foresee adding any additional restrictions to prevent the spread of the virus.
He did, however, recommend against unnecessary travel and warned of quickly changing re-entry rules to the country.
He also said the uncertainty surrounding the new variant is just another reason to get vaccinated.
He encouraged people aged 70 and over to quickly book their appointments for a third dose booster shot, and stressed the importance of continuing to follow all public health guidelines.
On Monday, 19,732 shots were administered, boosting to 80.8 the percentage of the population having received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine.
Since the start of the pandemic, the virus has claimed 11,579 lives in the province.
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