Fifth straight day of 2,000-plus cases

Expert Liu pleads for compliance: only `a few more miles to go'

As Quebec's daily COVID-19 cases topped 2,000 for the fifth day in a row Wednesday, public health experts pleaded once again with Quebecers to cancel any plans they may have to gather over the holidays.

Quebec reported a record 2,247 new COVID-19 cases Wednesday and an additional 74 deaths. Of the new deaths, 11 occurred in the previous 24 hours. Quebec's seven-day rolling average now stands at an all-time high of 2,050 cases.

Dr. Joanne Liu, past president of Doctors Without Borders and an expert in fighting epidemics, acknowledged this is a crucial time, because pandemic fatigue has set in just as the holidays begin. She thanked all the Quebecers who have worked so hard to reduce their contacts, and reminded them they have saved lives.

But she also urged everyone to continue or join the fight to protect the integrity of the health-care system.

“We have to stick together. We only have a few more miles to go, and it would be such a pity to finish with a chaotic, overwhelmed health-care system just before the finish line,” Liu said in an interview. “So I do understand people's emotional needs, and we have to recognize people have done so much for so long, ( but) it's only a few more months. We have to encourage them. A small percentage will do whatever they want, but most people really are trying to do their best.”

Dr. Matthew Oughton, an infectious-diseases expert with Mcgill University's department of medicine, said this week's record-breaking number of cases will be felt in the health system in about 10 days.

“To have above 2,000 cases a day for several days in a row tells me that in about a week or so, end of December and just as we are heading into the new year, we are going to see substantial increases in hospital ward bed needs as well as ICU bed needs,” Oughton said. “The more beds dedicated to COVID-19 patients, the fewer beds and resources we can dedicate to all the other things that don't stop happening just because we have a pandemic.”

He said Quebecers can celebrate the fact that the vaccines are here, but the fundamentals of fighting the virus have not changed: keep your distance from those who aren't in your household, wash your hands often, wear a mask when distancing is difficult.

“The gift to give other people this year is the gift of health, and that means stay at home, look after the people at home, don't spend time in crowded areas for prolonged periods, whether that is shopping or get-togethers,” Oughton said.

If we drop our guard now, he said, we will all pay the price of a health-care system that is limited in its ability to treat all kinds of illnesses. Elective surgeries, which are often exploratory procedures to investigate disease, will have to be delayed, and “the longer necessary procedures are delayed, the worse those diseases become, and ultimately when they get treated, the worse the outcomes are because the diseases have progressed during that waiting period.”

Hospitalizations continue to rise across Quebec, with 12 more people reported to be in hospitals with COVID-19 as of Wednesday, for a total of 1,067. Five more people required treatment for COVID-19 in intensive care units, bringing the total patient count in ICUS across the province to 142.

There were 1,891 vaccine doses administered across the province Tuesday, for a total of 7,229 since the vaccine became available in Quebec.

Montreal recorded 799 new cases of COVID-19 on Wednesday.

Catherine Domingue, a spokesperson for the Centre hospitalier de l'université de Montréal, said there has been a marked increase of COVID-19 patients at the CHUM since the beginning of December, with some being transferred from other hospitals and some being admitted after presenting themselves at the CHUM'S emergency department.

Christian Merciari, a spokesperson for the CIUSSS de l'est-de-l'île-de-montréal, said Maisonneuve-rosemont Hospital had 48 patients being treated for complications from COVID-19, with four in the ICU, while Santa Cabrini Hospital had 30 COVID patients, including three in the ICU.

In the western sector of the island, Hélène BergeronGamache said there were 62 people hospitalized with COVID-19, including nine in intensive care at the Lakeshore Hospital and six at St. Mary's.

At Notre-dame Hospital, 23 people were hospitalized due to COVID-19, including six in the ICU, and 33 were hospitalized at Verdun Hospital, according to Eric Forest, with the CIUSSS du Centre- Sudde-l'île-de-montréal.

On Tuesday, Premier François Legault had warned the situation is becoming untenable and urged Quebecers to respect the measures in effect.

The province will go into a partial lockdown Friday, with non-essential businesses closing until at least Jan. 11.

The restrictions are part of what Legault has called a much-needed “holiday pause.” Some experts have warned the plan may be too little, too late.

Quebec has reported a total of 183,523 cases and 7,867 deaths since the beginning of the pandemic.

The gift to give other people this year is the gift of health, and that means stay at home, look after the people at home …