COVID-19 in Quebec: What you need to know Wednesday

• Quebec reported 6,361 new cases ofCOVID-19 on Wednesday and two new deaths.
• Since the start of the pandemic, there have been 501,698confirmed cases and 11,652people have died.
• There are 445 people in hospital (an increase of 30),including 88in intensive care (which remains stable compared to the previous day).
• The province has administered 14,523,777doses ofCOVID-19 vaccines, including 83,137in the last 24 hours.
• 89per cent of the eligible population in the province (ages five and up) hasreceived one dose of vaccine, and 81per cent hasreceived two doses.

Quebec'sHealth Ministry does not publish the number of vaccines administered on weekends and public holidays.

Premier Franois Legaulthas announced that as of Dec. 26, indoor gatherings in theprovince will be limited to six peoplein an effort to slow the spread of the highly transmissible Omicron variant and limit hospital admissions.

Legault, Health Minister Christian Dub and public health director Dr. Horacio Arruda made the announcement in their 6 p.m. update on the COVID-19 situation in the province.

They stopped short of announcing a curfew, which sources told Radio-Canada was discussed in a meeting yesterday evening but eventually dropped.

Businesses and restaurants will remain open and people can still hold indoor gatherings of up to 10 people until the 26th.

Quebec reported more than6,000 new cases of COVID-19 on Wednesday, the highest number since the beginning of the pandemic. Legault said that number is up to 9,000 for the cases reported in the past 24 hours.

Health authorities are asking Quebecers to fill out theCOVID-19 symptom self assessment formonline and only head to a testing centre ifshowing symptoms.

WATCH | Legault announces gathering limits will be reduced again, urges vaccination

Franois Legault tightens restrictions again and asks Quebecers to cancel Christmas parties

3 years ago

Duration 1:52

Quebec's premier announces gathering limits will be reduced again after Christmas and calls on eligible citizens to get third COVID-19 vaccine doses.

Half of surgeries to be cancelled in Quebec

The province is also preparing for an expected spike in hospitalizations due to the Omicron variant.

Part of the plan is to postpone half of scheduled surgeries to free up space in hospitals, which have been decimated by acute staff shortages, according to Radio-Canada.

Quebec's Health Ministry has also requested help from the Red Cross, according to Radio-Canada.

The hope is that the organization will be able to send specialized teams to work in infection control in institutions struggling with COVID.

The specialized teams were called in to help in the spring of 2020, when the first wave of COVID was overwhelming many of Quebec's long-term care homes.

Montreal attractions closed indefinitely

Montreal's Biodme, Biosphre andRio Tinto Alcan Planetarium are closed and will stay closed until further notice. The grounds of the Botanical Garden are open but not its greenhouses.

The agency that runs the attractions says the closures are due to the public health situation and "directives from the City of Montreal and the government of Quebec."

However, the province has notyet ordered museums to close.

New projections of Omicron impact

Quebec's public health research institute, the INSPQ, has releasednew projections of the potential impact of the Omicron variant in Quebec.

The best-case scenario shows there could be a peak of about 150 hospitalizations per day by January, with daily cases rising above 6,000 in December, which already happened today.

In a more pessimistic scenario if Omicron causes severe illness, is highly transmissible, easily evades vaccination immunity and the administration of third doses continues to go slowly the INSPQ warned of an "exponential increase" in hospitalizations, peaking in January with more than 250 admissions per day.

WATCH | Lines are running long for PCR testing, including at this clinic in the east end

What a four-hour-long COVID-19 testing line looks like

3 years ago

Duration 0:15

Hundreds wait in a line for COVID-19 PCR testing in Montreal that snakes around several city blocks. (Sbastien Desrosiers/Radio-Canada)

Don't expect as much data over the holidays

Though Sant Qubec publishes case data daily, the government agency said itwill stopfor the holidays.

The daily dashboards posted to Twitter won't go upDec.24 to 26, Dec.31, or Jan. 1 to 2, 2022.

There will be a pause in news releases from Dec. 25 to 28 and again from Dec. 31 to Jan.4 leaving only two days with updates, Dec. 29 - 30. Normal weekday publication returns Jan. 5.

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• Long lines and little stock as Quebec starts rapid test rollout
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• A new COVID benefit is now in effect, but no one can access it
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