COVID-19 Pandemic - The government presents its daily update and invites Quebecers who expressed their interest on the Je contribue website to stay on the lookout

QUÉBEC CITY, April 18, 2020 /CNW Telbec/ - The latest data on COVID-19's development in Québec reveal 723 new cases over the past 24 hours, bringing the total number of people infected to 17 521. During the same period, 117 new deaths were recorded, bringing the total to 805. There were 54 new hospitalizations, for an overall total of 1130. Among these, the number of patients in intensive care has risen by 51 and the total now stands at 258.

Special remarks
It should be noted that the number of new deaths disclosed daily does not necessarily correspond to the number of deaths that occurred in the previous 24 hours, in particular due to adjustments made to the data collection method as well as the conclusion of epidemiological surveys requiring more than a day. It should also be noted that, in a concern of continuous improvement, a new data system is now used to collect the number of hospitalizations, which consider intensive care hospitalizations other than in the dedicated unit. This change partly explains the larger daily increase in intensive care hospitalizations and the smaller daily increase in regular hospitalizations in today's data.

Follow-up with people registered on the Je contribue website
Today and tomorrow, a telephone follow-up will be carried out with people who have offered their services on the Je contribue website between March 15 and April 16, 2020. Indeed, teams made up of staff members from Hydro-Québec and Revenu Québec will lend a hand to the government to communicate with people who have expressed their interest to support the health and social services network during the COVID-19 pandemic in order to assess whether their candidacy is eligible. Those who have registered on the website are therefore invited to stay on the lookout.

A reminder concerning public health instructions
To limit to the utmost the virus' spread, it is important to:

• frequently wash your hands for 20 seconds with soap and water, especially when you come in from outside;
• use alcohol-based disinfectant on your hands if soap and water are unavailable;
• stay at least 2 metres away from other people;
• avoid all gatherings;
• stay home, except where necessary.

Should symptoms appear:

• self-isolate;
• cough into your elbow;
• immediately discard tissues after use and wash your hands;
• consult the Self-care Guide or call 1-877-644-4545 to find out about procedures to be followed.

Related links:

• To find out more about the coronavirus, please visit Québec.ca/coronavirus.
• It is possible to obtain information by calling the coronavirus line, depending on your area code:
• 418-644-4545
• 450-644-4545
• 514-644-4545
• 819-644-4545
• 1-877-644-4545 (toll free)
• To monitor data updates, follow the Ministère de la Santé et des Services sociaux's Twitter account at https://twitter.com/sante_qc (@sante_qc).

SOURCE Ministère de la Santé et des Services sociaux