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

• On Thursday, Quebec reported 2,405 people in hospital (an increase of 24 from the previous day), including 88 intensive care (a decrease of 13).
• The province reported 2,909 new cases of COVID-19 and 38 deaths. 
• Since the start of the pandemic, there have been 1,026,345 confirmed cases, and 14,778 people have died.
• The province also reported 10,932 health-care workers absent for COVID-related reasons.
• 91 per cent of the eligible population in the province (aged five and up) have received one dose of the vaccine; 87 per cent have received two doses, and 54 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 no longer reports COVID-19 numbers on the weekend.

Quebec is extending the mask mandate, set to be lifted at the end of April, to mid-May — even as the sixth wave of COVID-19 infections appears to be cresting.

Quebec's interim public health director, Dr. Luc Boileau, held an update on the COVID-19 situation in the province Thursday. Boileau called the latest pandemic projections "relative good news." 

"It's encouraging to see that the number of hospitalizations should start to stabilize, and we're anticipating a reduction in new hospital admissions," Boileau said.

However, he urged Quebecers to remain prudent because of just how contagious the variants now in circulation are. 

The mandate to wear masks in public places, including on public transit and in stores, had been extended until April 30, as the sixth wave of COVID-19 infections saw the number of people admitted to hospitals in Quebec soar once again. 

Boileau said keeping that mandate in place for an extra two weeks should help prevent hospitals from being overwhelmed by another resurgence of infections. 

The number of COVID-related hospitalizations has risen sharply in recent weeks. According to the latest data, there are now 2,381 people in hospital with COVID-19.

The province also recorded 26 new deaths yesterday. 

Laval hospital visit restrictions

The Laval regional health authority is tightening rules for hospital visitors in light of the sixth wave. 

Starting today, only one caregiver or visitor per patient will be allowed at Cité-de-la-Santé hospital
and at the Jewish Rehabilitation Hospital.

The rules will apply until further notice, the Centre intégré de santé et de services sociaux (CISSS) de Laval said in a news release Tuesday.

Ottawa keeps mask requirement for travellers

Canada's transport minister, Omar Alghabra, is giving no indication his government plans to drop its masking requirement for air and rail passengers in this country in the near future.

"We constantly consult our experts, and whenever the advice that we receive changes because the circumstances change, we will change our regulation," he said Tuesday. "But for now, it is what it is."

His comments come after a federal judge in Florida struck down a national mask mandate on airplanes and mass transit in the U.S. Monday. 

The judge's decision freed airlines, airports and mass transit systems to make their own decisions about mask requirements, resulting in a mix of responses.

Top COVID-19 stories

• More Quebec family doctors eyeing retirement
• Canada's vaccine advisory committee on second booster shots for 80 and over
• New Quebec health plan promises better access to care.
• 10 MNAs and counting contract COVID-19. 
• Quebec plans to eliminate forced overtime for nurses, revamp health system by 2025.