Covid-19 update

Lockdown measures and curfew continue amid high hospital occupancy rates

Marking a rise of 15 cases in a day, the number of Covid-19 cases in the Outaouais since the start of the pandemic reached 11,397 on May 3. According to the Centre intégré de la santé et des services sociaux de l’Outaouais (CISSSO), there were 466 active Covid-19 cases in the region at that time. With 197 deaths in the region so far, it noted that 10,734 people had recovered from the virus.

Last week, 50 people were hospitalized , with eight requiring intensive care. In addition,  60 of CISSSO’s employees were actively infected. Over the previous week, CISSSO stated to have administered an average of 459 Covid-19 screening tests per day. CISSSO said that Gatineau’s urban core has accounted for the majority of coronavirus cases in the region at this point  with 8,500 cumulative cases and 317 active ones. 

The MRC de Papineau has had 1,265 total cases, with 59 active cases; the MRC de la Vallée-de-la-Gatineau has had 558 with eight active cases; the MRC des Collines-de-l’Outaouais has recorded 706 cases with 23 active ones; and the MRC de Pontiac has seen 304 total cases, with 52 active ones. The origin of 64 cases had yet to be determined.

The Québec government’s Covid-19 emergency safety measures – including the 8 pm to 5 am curfew -  will remain in place in the region until at least May 9. Police will be issuing fines ranging between $1,00  and $6,000 to people who break the rules. People aged 14 and under are subject to $500 fines.

Details about the special emergency regulations are available on the provincial government’s website. People wanting to get tested for Covid-19 are encouraged to consult CISSSO’s online self-assessment tool before calling 1-877-644-4545 to set up an appointment within 24 hours. More COVID-19 related information regarding the Outaouais is available on CISSSO’s website.

--Vaccination update

On April 29, CISSSO announced that people aged 50 and up are now eligible to be vaccinated.  It added that the entire population of the region will be eligible to be vaccinated within the month of May.  Vaccination eligibility dates for respective age groups are the following: 45 and up on May 3, 40 and up on May 5, 35 and up on May 7, 30 and up on May 10, 25 and up on May 12, and 18 and up on May 14.

More details on the vaccine rollout are available at www.quebec.ca.