Luc Boileau told the press on Sunday that COVID cases are rising in many regions of the province.

The increase in cases is affecting healthcare workers in particular, with 8,600 healthcare workers currently on leave, with 60% of them specifically due to COVID.

Boileau said hospitalizations have also started rising in some regions, and are expected to keep rising if the current trend continues, adding that positivity rates are also up. 

The public health director added that Quebec as a whole is seeing an uptrend in cases, but they can’t confirm yet whether it is the beginning of a sixth wave, although it appears to be.

Boileau told “vulnerable” individuals to be more vigilant as he reiterated that public health authorities would not recommend population-wide measures.

Quebec is one of the last jurisdictions in North America where mask-wearing is mandatory in nearly all situations. 

The government and public health authorities promised the mask mandate would be lifted by April 15, although the promise now looks uncertain. 

When asked by journalists, Boileau reiterated that mask would be mandatory until April 15, adding that the government’s promise to remove the mandate was based on the condition that the situation would keep improving. 

Boileau added that it is normal to experience waves of COVID and that regressing to populational measures would not be accceptable. He added that the province needs to live with the virus. 

When asked by a journalist whether the authorities and the government are considering requiring a new vaccine dose for the whole population, Boileau said they believe the vaccine efficacy is still strong and a new population-wide dose is not necessary now, although the government could require it before an expected wave in the future, possibly next spring.