COVID-19 live updates: Quebec reports 907 cases, 7 deaths as hospitalizations fall

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Updated throughout the day on Thursday, May 6. Questions/comments: ariga@postmedia.com

Top updates

11:15 a.m.

Updated charts: Quebec cases, deaths

11:15 a.m.

Update on Quebec’s vaccination campaign

11:05 a.m.

Quebec reports 907 cases, 7 deaths as hospitalizations fall

Quebec has recorded 907 new cases of COVID-19, the provincial government announced this morning.

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In addition, seven additional deaths were reported, including one over the previous 24 hours.

Among the other deaths, five occurred between April 29 and May 4, and one occurred before April 29.

Some other key statistics from Quebec’s latest COVID-19 update, published this morning:

Since the beginning of the pandemic, Quebec has reported 355,297 cases and 10,971 deaths linked to COVID-19. A total of 335,421 people who have contracted the disease have since recovered.

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10:45 a.m.

Montreal restaurant, bar and club owners to hold symbolic ‘open house’ on Saturday

“After a heartbreaking year, restaurant, bar and club owners are pulling together to invite everyone out on Saturday, May 8,” a group of business owners said in a press release this morning.

“Under an ‘Open House’ format, the general public is invited to visit
the various participating restaurants, bars and clubs which are slowly but surely turning into museums.”

They add: “Discover or rediscover the dining rooms and beautiful, well-cared-for places you enjoyed so much while strolling along the streets of Peel, Crescent, Laurier, Bernard, Notre-Dame, René-Lévesque, Ontario or Duluth,
including the Griffintown, Old Montreal, Little Italy, Plaza St-Hubert and Village areas.”

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Staff will “greet you on the street and hand out gift vouchers and many other surprises… Obviously, public health regulations will be in place and all participants are asked to wear a mask.”

Participants include Chez Alexandre, Pied de cochon, Joe Beef, Montréal Plaza, Les Enfants terribles, Park, Chez Lévesque, La Chronique, Stogies, Europea, Le bon vivant, Chez Delmo, Auberge St-Gabriel, Moretti, Jardin Nelson, Le Homard fou, Le Mousso, Petinos, Bâton rouge, Club le Sous-bois, le Velvet, New City gaz, la Voûte, Fly gin et les bars du Village among others.

10:20 a.m.

Montreal bar and restaurant terrasses could reopen June 1, Plante says

In a tweet this morning, Mayor Valérie Plante says the city of Montreal is in talks with public health about reopening bars and restaurants on June 1, with reduced capacity and other health measures in place.

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Plante is scheduled to hold a press conference on another topic at 11 a.m.

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10:10 a.m.

Ontario premier’s party attacks Trudeau on pandemic response

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10:05 a.m.

‘For when it’s time’

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10 a.m.

Quebec will unveil ‘reopening roadmap’ within weeks, Legault says

Premier François Legault says he wants Quebec to have a reopening timeline similar to the one recently unveiled by Saskatchewan.

“What I would like to be able to tell Quebecers is what’s coming in June, July, August,” Legault told reporters. “When can we return to a normal life?”

He said he sent Saskatchewan’s plan to Health Minister Christian Dubé, who is in talks with public health officials about a similar plan for Quebec.

“We’re waiting for public health recommendations, but I’ve been asking (for that) for weeks,” Legault said. “I know it’s not easy for public health, but I expect to have the same kind of plan.”

Legault says he wants Quebec to unveil a plan before June.

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Saskatchewan has a three-step “reopening roadmap,” which it described as a “three-step plan to gradually lift health restrictions as Saskatchewan reaches significant vaccination levels.”

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9:30 a.m.

Who are the Quebecers most hesitant to get vaccinated?

Regular polls taken since the beginning of the pandemic show the number of people hesitant to get vaccinated for COVID-19 has stayed stable at 25 per cent, including eight per cent who are considered extremely reluctant.

Among the most hesitant are those in the 25-44 age group, many of whom say they don’t feel at risk from the disease.

Read our full story, by René Bruemmer.

9:25 a.m.

Quebecers booked 200,000 vaccination appointments yesterday, Dubé says

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9:20 a.m.

No need for buyer’s remorse on AstraZeneca shots, NACI co-chair says

The co-chair of Canada’s vaccine advisory committee says anyone who took the AstraZeneca vaccine did the right thing and shouldn’t feel they got a second-best vaccine.

Dr. Caroline Quach-Thanh, the co-chair of the National Advisory Council on Immunization, put out a statement late Wednesday night, clarifying comments she made earlier this week.

Read our full story.

9:20 a.m.

Opinion: Let’s clear up the confusion over ‘preferred’ vaccine

Most parts of the world don’t have the luxury of choosing which life-saving vaccine to accept in the middle of a deadly pandemic.

Read the full opinion piece, by Raywat Deonandan, an epidemiologist at the University of Ottawa.

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9:15 a.m.

A guide to COVID-19 vaccinations in Quebec

Local health authorities have set up mass vaccination sites across Montreal.

You can book appointments via the Clic Santé website or by phone at 1-877-644-4545.

Here are the nuts and bolts of getting vaccinated, by Katherine Wilton. Her guide includes the age groups targeted, how to book appointments, and addresses of vaccination centres.

Wondering if the vaccines are safe? Once vaccinated, can you disregard public health measures? Is vaccination mandatory? Read our FAQ, by Jason Magder.

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9:15 a.m.

Here’s where Montrealers can get tested today

Montrealers can be screened at test centres across the island.

You can check screening clinic wait times here.

8:45 a.m.

The situation across Canada

Here’s the rate of case growth per 100,000 people over the past seven days, via the federal government’s latest epidemiology update.

8:30 a.m.

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ariga@postmedia.com

Read my previous live blogs here.