Quebec third wave

François Legault: “Quebec is resisting the third wave”

One million Quebecers will have been vaccinated by the end of today.

In a press conference this afternoon, Premier François Legault said that, based on the daily numbers of new COVID-19 infections in recent weeks, Quebec appears to be resisting the third wave of the pandemic. He cautioned that the variants of the virus are still present, however, and it’s likely that they will make up the majority of new cases by May.

“Since there is no increase in the number of cases, there is a stabilization. We are not in a third wave. Our measures are working, but the war has not been won. The next few weeks will be determining. Yes, people are getting vaccinated but it takes three to four weeks after vaccination to have a full effect of the vaccine.”

Legault also said that the province is expected to reach a vaccination milestone today:

“By the end of today, we should have one million Quebecers who have received the vaccine, and it continues to accelerate. Over the next few days, we’ll be close to 50,000 vaccines per day. So congratulations to Christian (Dubé) and the whole team.”

Legault mentioned that he will be receiving the first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine in Montreal on Friday, as registration has opened for his age group.

Legault revealed that all levels of high school in Montreal and other Quebec red zones will resume full-time class as of next Monday, March 29. He also announced the reopening of communal dining areas in senior homes where 75% of residents have been vaccinated.

The Premier did not announce any new significant easing of pandemic-related restrictions, noting that it is too early to gather publicly or privately. Already, the Saguenay-Lac-St-Jean region is at risk of going back to being a red zone after recently being designated orange. Following public health guidelines in the coming month are crucial to prevent a third wave in Quebec, according to Legault.

“No one wants to go back to a lockdown,” he said. “I’m counting on you all.”


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