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

• On Thursday, Quebec reported 1,062people in hospital (an increase of 28from the previous day), including 57in intensive care (anincrease of sevenfromthe previous day).
• The province reported 2,295new cases of COVID-19 and 14deaths.
• Since the start of the pandemic, there have been 951,295confirmed cases, and 14,288people have died.
• The province also reported Wednesday a total of18,584,138doses of COVID-19 vaccines administered, including 5,585doses in the last 24 hours.
• 91 per cent of the eligible population in the province (agedfive and up) have received one dose of the vaccine;87per cent have received two doses, and 52 per cent have received three doses.

*The new cases are those reported to the Quebec government only. They are believed to be an underrepresentation of the virus's spread, given the limited availability of PCR tests and use of home testing kits.

*Quebec's Health Ministry announced it will no longerreport itsCOVID-19 numberson the weekend.

Quebec'sinterim public health director says heis reluctant to say a sixth wave is coming, despite newprojections from public health officials suggesting COVID-relatedhospitalizationswill increase over the next few weeks.

At a news conference Wednesday, Dr. Luc Boileau saidthe increase is being driven by the highly contagious Omicron subvariant, known as BA.2.

Hesent a letter to the province's hospitals this week asking them to prepare for an expected surge in cases and he'snow recommending a fourth dose of vaccine for people in seniors' residences, people over 80, and people who are immunocompromised.

But Boileau said this situation was expected with the recent relaxing of public health restrictions.

"The expectations are that [cases and hospitalizations are]going to go up, but not necessarily as a wave.So let's wait before talking about a sixth wave," he said.

Boileau said he still believes it'll be possible for the province to lift most mask requirements by mid-Aprilas planned, butsaid the next few weeks will be critical. Ifthe increases are steeper than expected, masking requirements may be extended.

Quebec premier catches COVID-19

Quebec Premier Franois Legault has tested positive for COVID-19but is doing well, he announced on Twitter Thursday afternoon.

"This afternoon, I started experiencing symptoms of COVID-19. I took a test and received a positive result," he tweeted.

The premier says he will continue to work remotely for the next five days, in accordance with public health guidelines.

"We see it with the rise in cases lately: the virus is present in Quebec," Legault said on Twitter. "Let's continue to be careful. We'll get through this together!"

Quebec study looks at long COVIDin health workers

A recent study out of Quebec looked at health-care workers who are grappling with life-altering long COVID impacts which could jeopardize their ability to work while putting strain on the health-care system, researchers say.

The research,which is published onlinebut has not yet been peer-reviewed, found a high prevalence of post-COVID health issues among health-care workers who fell ill during the pandemic's first three waves.

The researchers found 40 per cent of those who didn't require hospitalization for their illness reported having lingering health issues after three months, along with nearly 70 per cent of those who required a hospital stay.

Quebec budget includes $1.7B pandemic fund

As part of its latest budget tabled on Tuesday, the Coalition Avenir Qubec government has set asidea pandemic fund of$1.7 billion to help deal with potential future waves.

The money will be used for additional hospital beds, more at-home testsand to prepare for another round of vaccinations.

There's also a separate $48 million set asideto better respond to future pandemics.

Top COVID-19 stories

• Quebec liftingsome pandemic measures early,to soon lift public masking requirements.
• Quebecpublic health director defends planto lift COVID-19 restrictions early.
• Quebecscraps masks in class for elementary, high school students after March break.
• Is it the right time to lift Quebec's vaccination passport? Experts are divided..
• Quebecers aged 12-17 are now eligible for a 3rd dose.
• Data, tests and transparency: What Quebec needs to live with COVID-19.