Quebec has entered 3rd wave of COVID-19, health minister says

Health Minister Christian Dub acknowledged Monday that the province has entered a third wave of COVID-19, even as some restrictions loosen in Montreal and cases rise in the regions.

Dub said the government had anticipated another rise in casesbut that the decision to have students in grades 9 to 11 return full-time, as well as tore-open gyms and other fitness centres, was made with people's well-being in mind.

"It's a balance," he told reporters at a news conference inMontral-Nord."The deconfinement measures are there for people's mental health.

The growing presence of more transmissible variants of the coronavirus, along with the race to get more people vaccinated, have added new layers of complexity to the latest surge of COVID-19.

An outbreak at a gym in Quebec City, where fitness centreswere allowed to reopen last month, resulted in roughly 40 casesand served as a reminder of the risks of reopening.

Dub said Monday he will be watching the situation closely and if hospitalizations go up, the province may need to reintroduce some measures.

He made the comments alongside Dr. Mylne Drouin, Montreal's public health director, who has been outspoken about trying to delay a third wave for as long as possible.

The province reported 891 new COVID-19 cases and five more deaths on Monday. Hospitalizations, meanwhile, remained below500.

Drouin said she expects variants to begin to make up more cases after Easter and it will be crucial to keep them under control.

"Every day we win against the variant is a day when thousands of people are vaccinated."

"We know it's more transmissible and it can also create more complications."

She said there is growing evidence that the available vaccines not only greatly reduceserious illness and death but also transmission.

Drouin and Dub were at a community organization in Montral-Nordwhich is offering the vaccine. Dub said it's important to have smaller sites to reach residents that may be hesitant to be inoculated.

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How risky is the return to class for Quebec high school students?

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Two health experts weigh in on the province's decision to send secondary students back full-time.

The news conference was held Monday morning, before Quebec announced it would temporarily stop administering the AstraZeneca-Oxford COVID-19 vaccine to people under the age of 55.

The move camefollowing updated guidelines from theNational Advisory Committee on Immunization.