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

• Quebec reported 409new cases of COVID-19 on Tuesdayand twonew deaths.
• Since the start of the pandemic, there have been 416,676confirmed casesand11,422people have died.
• There are 291people in hospital (an increaseof one),including 72in intensive care(a decrease of six).
• The province has administered13,033,734doses of the COVID-19 vaccine, including 4,580in the last 24 hours.
• 90 per cent of the eligible population in the province (age 12 and up) hasreceived one dose of vaccine, and 85per cent hasreceived two doses.

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

The transmission of COVID-19 in Quebec is primarilyamong those who are not adequately vaccinated.

The provincereported 409new cases of COVID-19 on Tuesday, 263of which were among people who were either unvaccinated or who had only received a first dose within the past two weeks.

As of Tuesday, the seven-day average of cases is 554.

About 90 per cent of Quebecers aged 12 and older have received at least one dose, while 85 per cent are considered fully vaccinated with two shots, according to the province's public health institute.

No vaccine, no licence

Several professional orders representing health-care workers in Quebec say they will soon suspend the licences of members who aren't adequately vaccinated against COVID-19.

On Tuesday, the order representing the province's licensed practical nurses, or LPNs, became the latest group to sayits members who are not adequately vaccinated will have their licences suspended as of Fridaythe government-imposed vaccination deadline for many health-care staff.

The order's decision mirrors the ones taken by the province's order of nurses, the order of respiratory therapists andthe college of physicians.

Recently, Health Minister Christian Dub asked that all professional orders in the health sector suspend the licences of workers who aren't immunized.

In a tweet on Monday, Dub said it will beimpossible to bypass mandatory vaccinations in the health sectorcome Oct. 15.

"I encourage all nurses who haven't gotten vaccinated to go now," he wrote."It's never too late."

Among nurses, 4,338 aren't fullyvaccinated, and 2,807 haven't received their first dose, Luc Mathieu, president of the Quebec Order of Nurses, told Radio-Canada'sTout un matin.

As of Oct.15,health-care workers in Quebec who are notfully vaccinatedwill be suspended without pay.

Rapid tests in schools this week

Starting this week, all preschools and elementary schools in Quebec will have rapid testing for COVID-19.

Rapid tests are already being used in some Montreal and Laval schools where there were many active cases.

Pediatric infectious disease specialist Dr. Caroline Quach says pilot projects for rapid tests last spring were effective in detecting cases and bringing children back to school soon after isolation.

"I think one has to remember that this test is 80 percent sensitive, which means that out of 10 cases that we would pick up by PCR, we'd be missing two. And that's a sensitivity in symptomatic children," she said.

As of last week, nearly a quarter of public and private schools were reporting active positive COVID cases, accounting for about 770 schools and over 1,800 students and staff.

Top COVID-19 stories

• Unvaccinated nurses won't be allowed to practise in Quebec, order confirms
• ICU staff battle patients' regret, denial and mistrustduring Quebec's 4th wave
• More than 17,000 Quebec health-care workers face suspension for refusing COVID-19 vaccine.
• Quebec passes law to make protesting outside schools, hospitals and vaccinations sites illegal
• Groups say Quebec's bonus pay for nurses won't solve staffing crisis.