Quebec considering vaccine mandate for health workers amid rise in COVID infections

MONTREAL — Quebec is considering imposing a vaccine mandate for health-care workers amid a rise in the number of new COVID-19 cases in the province.

Ewan Sauves, a spokesman for Premier François Legault, said today in an email the government is looking at making COVID-19 vaccination mandatory for health workers but not for other public sector employees.

The news comes a day after Legault said his government will impose a vaccine passport system to curb the spread of COVID-19.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Thursday his government is mulling vaccine mandates for federal workers and employees in federally regulated industries.

Meanwhile, Quebec is reporting 218 new cases of COVID-19 today and one more death attributed to the novel coronavirus, which occurred on Aug. 3. It’s the first death linked to the virus since July 22.

Quebec’s public health institute says 84.4 per cent of residents 12 and older have received at least one dose of vaccine and 70.3 per cent are considered adequately vaccinated. It says 89.9 per cent of health-care workers had received one dose as of Aug. 4 and 80.4 per cent were adequately vaccinated. 

The Health Department says the number of COVID-19-related hospitalizations dropped by three from Thursday, to 57, and 15 people were in intensive care, a drop of one. 

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 6, 2021.

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This story was produced with the financial assistance of the Facebook and Canadian Press News Fellowship.

The Canadian Press