Updated COVID-19 Vaccination Recommendations & Current case Trends
Quebec‘s public health authority, the CIQ (Commission des normes, de l’équité, de la santé et de la sécurité du travail), continues to recommend COVID-19 vaccination for specific population groups as of August 5, 2023.
- Individuals aged 75 years and older
- Residents of long-term care facilities (CHSLD), residential and option care facilities (RPA), and other group living environments with a meaningful proportion of elderly or medically vulnerable individuals.
- People with compromised immune systems or chronic medical conditions
- Healthcare professionals
- Pregnant individuals
- adults residing in remote and isolated regions of Quebec
Hospitalization Rates remain Low Compared to 2022
Unlike the same period last year, Quebec has not experienced a surge in COVID-19 related hospitalizations this summer. Data from the Institut national de santé publique du québec (INSPQ) indicates 268 hospitalizations as of August 5, 2023, a significant decrease from the 1225 hospitalizations recorded on the same date in 2022.
Dr. Marie-France Quach,a public health specialist,expressed surprise at the lack of a summer wave,stating,”We are still surprised,we did not have a summer rise.” She noted uncertainty regarding potential increases in cases with the resumption of school activities.
The COVID-19 wastewater surveillance program, initiated in April 2023, reveals a 7% positivity rate for COVID-19 as of the week of August 3, according to INSPQ data.
