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home / 世界杯决赛2022

where quebec stands on covid-19 boosters, rapid tests and more

the state of the pandemic has deteriorated in the province, in part due to the more transmissible omicron variant.

by jesse feith

dec 17 2021
read time 3 minute read
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only a few weeks ago, premier françois legault told quebecers the pandemic appeared under control and he was hopeful the upcoming holiday season would be much better than last year’s.

but the state of the pandemic has since quickly deteriorated in the province, in part due to the more transmissible omicron variant .

during a news conference thursday, legault described the situation as critical and announced quebec is set to record more than 3,700 new cases on friday —  the highest daily increase yet.
given how rapidly things have changed, here’s a brief overview of where quebec now stands on certain issues, from booster shots to holiday gatherings and rapid tests.
who can get booster shots? 

earlier this week, ontario announced it was extending booster shots to all adults in the province as of next monday. quebec is taking a staggered approach instead .

the province has so far offered the third dose to people living in long-term care centres and seniors’ residents, as well as anyone 70 or older.
others who are eligible include health workers, people with chronic health conditions, and pregnant women.
to speed up the process, on thursday, the government reduced the interval between the second and third doses from six to three months. it also moved up the next step of the campaign.
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those 65 and over will now be able to book an appointment as of dec. 20, followed by those 60 and older the next week. authorities hope to move on to younger age groups in january.
when and where will rapid tests be available? 

after mounting pressure to do so, quebec announced this week it‘s making rapid tests available to all quebecers starting next week .

the province has already started distributing the tests through daycares and elementary schools and will gradually make them available at 1,900 pharmacies as of dec. 20.

every quebecer 14 and over will be able to get five rapid tests per 30-day period. people are encouraged to visit pharmacies where they already have a file and are asked not to do so if they have symptoms.

if your rapid test shows a positive result, you need to confirm the infection at a testing clinic.
what to do if you’ve tested positive? 
if you test positive for covid-19 in quebec, you need to self isolate at home for 10 days from when you first noticed symptoms or the date on which you were tested if you don’t have symptoms.
before coming out of isolation, you should ensure you haven’t had a fever for 48 hours.
similar rules apply to anyone who’s come into contact with a positive case, but they differ depending on whether the person is adequately vaccinated or not.
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people who aren’t fully vaccinated and were exposed to an infected person must self isolate for 10 days.
if you are adequately vaccinated, you don’t need to self-isolate. instead, you must monitor your symptoms for two weeks and get tested between the third and fifth day after exposure.
what’s the state of quebec’s health network? 
as cases have increased in recent weeks, quebec has said it’s focused on hospitalizations as the main indicator for whether or not measures need to be tightened.
so far, hospitalizations have mostly remained steady through the recent surge. as of thursday, there were 305 people in hospital with covid-19, including 63 in intensive care.

depending on the spread of the omicron variant, however, new projections suggest hospitalizations could more than double by early january.

at the moment, the province has a capacity of about 800 beds for covid-19 patients.
can people still gather for the holidays? 
despite earlier promises that gatherings of up to 20 people would be allowed as of dec. 23, quebec reduced that to 10 people on thursday.
to gather as safely as possible, public health experts recommend families try to host gatherings outdoors or in the largest space available. they should also follow measures such as masking and distancing and avoid sitting around the same table or sharing food and dishes.

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people are also encouraged to try to improve ventilation as much as possible, including by opening windows and keeping bathroom and oven fans on.
jfeith@postmedia.com

all our coronavirus-related news can be found at montrealgazette.com/tag/coronavirus .
for information on vaccines in quebec,  tap here .
sign up for our email newsletter dedicated to local covid-19 coverage at  montrealgazette.com/coronavirusnews .

jesse feith, montreal gazette
jesse feith, montreal gazette

i’m a general assignment reporter with the montreal gazette since 2014. i like to focus on justice issues.

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