COVID-19 in Quebec: What you need to know on Wednesday

• Quebec reported 75 new cases of COVID-19 on Wednesday and no new deaths. 
• Since the start of the pandemic, there have been 376,044 confirmed cases and 11,231 people have died.
• There are 79 people in hospital (a decrease of six) including 25 in intensive care (no change). 
• 91,241 doses of vaccine were administered in the province over the last 24 hours, for a total of 9,648,811.
• 82 per cent of the eligible population in the province (age 12 and up) have received one dose of vaccine, and 47 per cent have received two doses.

COVID-19 data is no longer updated by Quebec's Health Ministry on weekends or on public holidays.

Quebec is trying to come up with concrete, short term solutions to deal with the immediate crisis in the province's emergency rooms.

A growing number are struggling to care for patients as hospitals deal with severe staffing shortages caused by nurses fed up with pandemic working conditions.

Health Minister Christian Dubé was in meetings with the heads of the province's regional health networks Tuesday as calls for help from emergency room physicians grow. 

"We see the situation is getting worse and worse over time, and we're on the verge of a breakdown," said Dr. Bernard Mathieu, an emergency physician at Maisonneuve-Rosemont Hospital, who penned an open letter to the Health Ministry on Monday. 

He said the hospital is at risk of closing if the government doesn't step in with some solutions for the recruitment and retention of staff, among other improvements to working conditions.

Several regions in the province are seeing emergency rooms well beyond capacity, with the average occupancy rate across Quebec at 106 per cent as of Tuesday. 

QR code safety 

Quebec's Public Security minister is reassuring people about the use of vaccine passports in the fall.

Some cybersecurity experts are sounding the alarm about the potential for QR code fraud, fearing merchants will collect personal information from customers.

But Geneviève Guilbault says data protection is one of the government's top priorities, adding there's still plenty of time to work out the details and ensure proper security.

Back in May, Canadian privacy commissioners issued a warning about vaccine passports, saying measures must be taken to ensure personal information is protected.

When scanned, the QR code reveals the name, date of birth, type of vaccine, the number of doses, dates and injection sites.

Top COVID-19 stories

• Pandemic travel restrictions are leaving children of temporary residents stranded abroad
• Here's what Quebec can learn from other regions with vaccination passport systems
• Quebec's vaccination passport plan threatens to infringe on 'freedom of movement,' expert says
• Quebec surgeries pick up speed as province tackles pandemic backlog
• Why the delta variant means some Canadians now more 'at risk' from COVID-19 than ever before.
• Push to vaccinate Quebecers 18-29 is on, as normal return to higher education hangs in the balance

What are the symptoms of COVID-19? 

• Fever. 
• New or worsening cough. 
• Difficulty breathing. 
• Sudden loss of smell without a stuffy nose.
• Gastrointestinal issues (such as nausea, diarrhea, vomiting).
• Sore throat, runny or stuffy nose.
• Generalized muscle pain.
• Headache.
• Fatigue.
• Loss of appetite.

If you think you may have COVID-19, the government asks that you call 1‑877‑644‑4545 to schedule an appointment at a screening clinic.  

To reserve an appointment for a COVID-19 vaccine, you can go on the online portal quebec.ca/covidvaccine. You can also call 1-877-644-4545.

You can find information on COVID-19 in the province here and information on the situation in Montreal here.