COVID-19 live updates: Quebecers with chronic medical conditions can start booking vaccinations tomorrow

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Updated throughout the day on Thursday, April 22. Questions/comments: ariga@postmedia.com

Top updates

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2:20 p.m.

Quebec opens vaccine registration for people with chronic illnesses and disabilities

Following up on my earlier live coverage, here’s our full story, by Katelyn Thomas, about Quebec expanding eligibility for COVID-19 vaccines.

2:05 p.m.

Premiers ask Trudeau to ‘strengthen measures at air and land borders’

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2 p.m.

Quebecers with chronic medical conditions can start booking vaccinations tomorrow

Quebec is expanding its vaccination campaign to take in people with serious chronic medical conditions and people with a physical or intellectual disability. For people in the latter category, caregivers will also be eligible.

That opens vaccinations to an additional 800,000 Quebecers, Dubé said at a press conference this afternoon.

He said Quebec will be able to make this move because the flow of Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines is increasing.

These new groups will be able to get vaccinated at pharmacies, clinics and hospitals.

People with chronic diseases can get vaccinated starting tomorrow (Friday, April 23). I have posted a list of the conditions covered below. For more information, here is the government press release.

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Starting Wednesday, April 28, shots will be available to people with “motor, intellectual, speech, language, visual and auditory incapacities,” or disabilities “associated with other senses, or linked to an autism spectrum disorder.”

Dubé was asked when the general population can expect to be vaccinated.

In response, he repeated his plan to open up vaccinations in late May.

However, he indicated that Quebecers will be able to book appointments before that.

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12:25 p.m.

Outside Montreal region, designated COVID-19 beds could be full in two to three weeks

The Institut national d’excellence en santé et en services sociaux today published its weekly pandemic update, including hospitalization projections.

Based on data from the week of April 10 to 16, the report notes that there has been a six-per-cent decrease in cases compared to the previous week. That applies to all age groups except people 70 and older.

After rising for six consecutive weeks, cases are falling in the Quebec City region. However, infections continue to rise in the neighbouring Chaudière-Appalaches region.

Over the past four weeks, the number of hospitalizations has been “relatively stable” for Montreal and surrounding regions, the report says.

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The institute provided hospitalization projections based on data collected up to April 18.

Hospitalizations will “stabilize over the next two to three weeks,” the report says.

“For Montreal and surrounding regions, projections indicate (no change in) the current rate of occupancy of regular and intensive care beds for the next two to three weeks. Hospital capacity is not expected to be exceeded during this period.”

In other parts of Quebec, “the number of hospitalizations continues to rise, particularly in certain regions. If this increase continues, the room for maneuver of certain establishments could be greatly reduced. Projections suggest that hospital capacities currently dedicated for COVID-19 patients, particularly in intensive care, could be reached within the next two to three weeks.”

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Noon

Federal officials provide update on vaccine distribution

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11:15 a.m.

Updated charts: Quebec cases, deaths

11:15 a.m.

Update on Quebec’s vaccination campaign

11:15 a.m.

Update on variants in Quebec

11:05 a.m.

Quebec reports 1,248 cases, 7 deaths – and a record 85,000 vaccinations

Quebec has recorded 1,248 new cases of COVID-19, the provincial government announced this morning.

The latest update pushed the province’s seven-day rolling average down to 1,300, the lowest in two weeks.

In addition, seven new deaths were reported, including two over the previous 24 hours.

The other deaths occurred between April 15 and 20.

Some other key statistics from Quebec’s latest COVID-19 update, published this morning:

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Since the beginning of the pandemic, Quebec has reported 341,645 cases and 10,845 deaths linked to COVID-19. A total of 318,676 people who have contracted the disease have since recovered.

10:10 a.m.

Ontario premier chokes back tears, apologizes for widely panned rules

From The Canadian Press: 

A visibly emotional Premier Doug Ford apologized on Thursday for new COVID-19 restrictions that sparked a furious backlash as he confirmed the government would bring in a paid sick-leave program for workers after months of refusing to do so.

Choking back tears, Ford said he was sorry for increasing police enforcement powers and closing playgrounds last Friday — measures that were rolled back amid an onslaught of criticism — and that his government got it wrong.

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“I will always try to do what’s right,” Ford said. “If we get something wrong, we’ll fix it.”

The government had announced the new restrictions amid soaring COVID-19 cases and an alarming rise in people in hospital and intensive care. Critics were especially incensed at the government handing police the power to stop people at random to ask why they were out during the province’s current stay-at-home order.

Ford said the measures had been brought in too fast as the government sought to act in the face of dire COVID-19 projections.

“We moved too quick; if I make a mistake, I correct it immediately,” Ford said. “I’m sorry and I apologize to each and everyone of you.”

The premier also said people forced into quarantine due to the pandemic should not have to worry about their jobs or income. The province was now working on a sick-leave program because the federal government hadn’t expanded an existing benefit, he said, although he did not provide a timeline or further specifics.

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Public health experts, labour groups and local officials have been calling for sick-leave support for much of the pandemic, arguing it would reduce COVID-19 spread in workplaces.

Ford had steadfastly refused to implement such a program but his government indicated this week that it would finally change course.

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10 a.m.

Legault urges Trudeau to tighten border restrictions

The situation remains “very stable” in Quebec in terms of cases and hospitalizations, Premier François Legault told reporters this morning.

“It’s very encouraging,” he added.

Asked about the arrival of variants from other countries, Legault said Canada has to be “even more cautious” with international flights from places such as Brazil and India.

He said he is working on a letter with other premiers asking Prime Minister Justin Trudeau for stricter rules regarding people arriving by air and land from other countries and other provinces.

Legault said some people are avoiding the mandatory federal quarantine by simply paying the fine. Others are using bogus COVID-19 test results.

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“We’re asking (Trudeau) to do even more,” he said.

Legault said he’s “very concerned” about the B.1.617 variant of COVID-19, which was first sequenced in India.

“The concern is whether our vaccines will all be effective against the new variants.”

Legault was asked about today’s front page of the Journal de Montréal, which has been denounced by Quebec’s anti-racism minister. (See item below, timestamped 9:40 a.m.)

“We have to be careful not to stigmatize certain communities,” Legault said.

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9:40 a.m.

Quebec anti-racism minister condemns Journal de Montréal

Benoit Charette, Quebec’s minister for the fight against racism, said on Twitter that he’s “worried about the consequences” of the front page of today’s Journal de Montréal.

It features a photo of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on a trip to India wearing traditional Indian clothing. The headline: “The Indian variant has arrived.”

“We have seen an upsurge in racist acts targeting people of (Asian) descent since the start of the pandemic,” Charette wrote this morning. “With (such) representations, there is a risk of fuelling prejudices.”

Quebec on Wednesday found its first case of the B.1.617 variant of COVID-19, which was first sequenced in India.

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9:35 a.m.

Quebec administers record 85,000 vaccine doses

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9:30 a.m.

Video: ‘It’s a no-brainer’: Montrealers welcome opportunity to get AstraZeneca jab

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9:20 a.m.

There’s a shortage of respiratory therapists at the MUHC

Respiratory therapists operating ventilators at the McGill University Health Centre are now in short supply during the pandemic’s third wave, and those remaining have been instructed to “prioritize patients” — a directive which some fear will mean spending less time monitoring some critical patients.

Read our full story, by Aaron Derfel.

9:20 a.m.

Quebec plan to substitute vaccines for second dose makes sense: experts

Health experts say they agree with a Quebec government plan to substitute the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine for the Moderna vaccine in order to more quickly give booster shots to long-term care residents.

Read our full story.

9:20 a.m.

Vaccination sites with community support open for Indigenous people in Montreal

Three COVID-19 vaccination sites for Indigenous people ages 18 and over are opening in Montreal with the goal of offering safe spaces adapted to the needs of the community.

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Read our full story, by Katelyn Thomas.

9:20 a.m.

Osheaga to announce cancellation of 2021 festival

Osheaga, Montreal’s popular summer music and arts festival, will not take place in 2021.

Read our full story.

9:15 a.m.

Everything you need to know about getting COVID-19 vaccinations in Quebec

Local health authorities have set up mass vaccination sites across Montreal.

You can book appointments via the Clic Santé website or by phone at 1-877-644-4545.

Here are the nuts and bolts of getting vaccinated, by Katherine Wilton. Her guide includes the age groups targeted, how to book appointments, and addresses of vaccination centres.

Wondering if the vaccines are safe? Once vaccinated, can you disregard public health measures? Is vaccination mandatory? Read our FAQ, by Jason Magder.

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9:15 a.m.

Here’s where Montrealers can get tested today

Montrealers can be screened at test centres across the island.

You can check screening clinic wait times here.

8:45 a.m.

The situation across Canada

Here’s the rate of case growth per 100,000 people over the past seven days, via the federal government’s latest epidemiology update.

8:30 a.m.

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ariga@postmedia.com

Read my previous live blogs here.