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New public health measures coming to Quebec, premier says

Premier François Legault announced on Wednesday that the new measures will be coming soon, but did not specify what those measures will be. (Sylvain Roy-Roussel/Radio-Canada - image credit)
Premier François Legault announced on Wednesday that the new measures will be coming soon, but did not specify what those measures will be. (Sylvain Roy-Roussel/Radio-Canada - image credit)

Quebec Premier François Legault says his government will be announcing new public health measures in the coming days due to the recent rise in COVID-19 cases in the province and around the world.

The premier made the announcement on social media on Wednesday but provided few details as to what those measures will be.

"As elsewhere in the world, the recent increase in the number of cases is worrisome," he said. "Let's be careful."

WATCH | Dr. Donald Vinh says the key is to focus on the unvaccinated

Legault urged people to get two vaccine doses.

In Trois-Rivières, Que., the increase in cases forced two bars and a restaurant to temporarily close their doors on Tuesday.

The city currently has the highest rate of active cases per 100,000 inhabitants of the province. The Quebec average is 14.7 active cases per 100,000 inhabitants, but it is 75 in Trois-Rivières, about 140 kilometres east of Montreal.

Quebec's public health institute recorded 175 new cases Tuesday — the second-highest number of new daily cases reported in more than a month.

The province saw its highest COVID-19 positivity rate since last May on Sunday, with the number climbing to 1.4 per cent.

While the number of cases in Quebec remains low compared to the peak of the third wave, Dr. Donald Vinh, an infectious diseases specialist at the McGill University Health Centre, says the current trends are concerning as they show "there is still ongoing community transmission."

Quebec will deliver its last shipment of Pfizer vaccines to health facilities this week, nearly 600,000 doses.

Starting next week, the doses that Quebec will receive will be kept in reserve. The province says it has enough doses to complete immunization of the eligible population by the end of August.

Currently, there are more than two million doses in stock in Quebec. Surpluses will ultimately be sent back to Ottawa to be redistributed in other countries.