As of today, people who are fully vaccinated no longer need to wear a mask or keep a two-metre distance if gathering indoors.
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This was our coverage of the coronavirus crisis for June 25, 2021. Questions or comments? Email: jfeith@postmedia.com
Top updates
- Canada set to receive 9 million Pfizer vaccine doses in July
- Health Canada releases guidelines for fully vaccinated people
- New federal COVID-19 modelling is ‘encouraging’: Trudeau
- Quebec reports 88 new cases, no deaths
- No more masks in private gatherings for fully vaccinated people
- Montreal Mayor Valérie Plante receives her second vaccine dose
- Reminder: Here’s what you need to know about 2nd shots in Quebec
5:00 p.m.
Canada set to receive 9 million Pfizer vaccine doses in July
Pfizer has confirmed it will deliver roughly nine million COVID-19 vaccine doses to Canada throughout July, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced on Friday.
It wasn’t immediately clear how this will affect Quebec, but Trudeau said the details of the deliveries have been shared with provinces and territories, “so that they can get doses into arms as soon as they arrive.”
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Due to delivery delays, Quebec has had to suspend Pfizer walk-in clinics in recent weeks and limit the number of second dose appointments available for people who want the Pfizer vaccine.
On Friday, however, the provincial government announced certain walk-in clinics hosted by private companies will be open this weekend.
The only one in Montreal will be hosted by Saputo in Montreal North. The site will have 260 Pfizer doses available for walk-ins throughout the weekend.
More information can be found here.
2:30 p.m.
Health Canada releases guidelines for fully vaccinated people
Health Canada released guidelines Friday for fully vaccinated Canadians, detailing what is and isn’t recommended for those who’ve received both doses of the COVID-19 vaccine.
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The guidelines stress that even if fully vaccinated, people must continue to follow local public health advice in public settings such as the workplace or on public transit. In general, people are considered fully vaccinated two weeks after their second dose.
Among the recommendations, the guidelines state that no mask or physical distancing is necessary when gathering indoors with a small group of fully vaccinated people. The agency lists dinners with a group of friends, watching sporting events together or sharing hugs as possibilities.
If gathering indoors with people from multiple households who are unvaccinated or only partially vaccinated, such as a birthday party or while going to the gym, the guidelines suggest fully vaccinated people should follow the rules put in place by the host or owner. People should also consider still wearing a mask if they’re at risk of more severe disease.
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The guidelines can be found here.
1:00 p.m.
New federal COVID-19 modelling is ‘encouraging’: Trudeau
New federal COVID-19 modelling shows what Prime Minister Justin Trudeau described Friday as an “encouraging” forecast for the next couple of months in Canada.
Theresa Tam, Canada’s chief public health officer, unveiled the modelling during a news conference Friday.
Tam said though the outlook is promising, with the number of new cases steadily declining across the country, provinces need to stick to gradual reopening strategies to avoid a sudden resurgence.
“The summer is looking pretty good, what I’m watching for is what happens when each of the individual provinces reopen,” Tam said. “That will tell us whether we might (see a resurgence), but if the vaccination rates go up as high as possible, I think all of that can be manageable.”
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Tam mentioned the presence of the Delta variant as a cause for concern, further highlighting the need to be cautious. If the variant takes hold, the next wave could be more severe than first expected.
“With the emergence and spread of the Delta variant,” Tam said, “it is more important than ever for as many people as possible to get fully vaccinated across Canada.”
As of Friday, there were 35 confirmed cases of the variant in Quebec.
Read more coverage from the news conference in this Canadian Press report.
11:50 a.m.
11:00 a.m.
Quebec reports 88 new cases, no deaths
Quebec has recorded 88 new cases of COVID-19, the provincial government announced this morning, but no new deaths.
The number of people in hospital with COVID-19 decreased by 8, bringing the total to 135. There are now 40 people in intensive care, two more than yesterday.
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Some other key statistics from Quebec’s latest COVID-19 update, published this morning:
- Montreal Island: 30 new cases
- 65,578 additional vaccine doses were administered in the last 24 hours
- 20,320 tests were conducted on Wednesday, the last day for which screening data is available
Since the beginning of the pandemic, Quebec has reported 374,406 cases and 11,202 deaths linked to COVID-19. A total of 362,130 people who have contracted the disease have since recovered.
10:30 a.m.
Montreal Mayor Valérie Plante receives her second vaccine dose
Montreal Mayor Valérie Plante has received her second dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. In a tweet posted Friday morning, Plante encouraged Montrealers to keep getting vaccinated.
“Normalcy is coming but there is still a ways to go, and that means getting vaccinated,” Plante wrote.
“Many young people still need to be vaccinated, and I encourage them to go as soon as possible. We’re counting on you so COVID-19 can end this summer.”
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9:30 a.m.
No more masks in private gatherings for fully vaccinated people
As announced earlier this week, some pandemic restrictions are being lifted across Quebec today, the latest step in the province’s reopening plan.
As of today, people who are fully vaccinated no longer need to wear a mask or keep a two-metre distance if gathering indoors.
Also, outdoor festivals can host up to 3,500 people.
Premier François Legault said this week he was comfortable with loosening the measures given how Quebec’s vaccination campaign has progressed.
Eighty per cent of eligible Quebecers have now received their first COVID-19 vaccine dose, and 23 per cent their second.
Restrictions will be further loosened on Monday, when the entire province will switch to the green alert level — the least-restrictive level under Quebec’s pandemic alert system.
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Read more about what that means here.
9:30 a.m.
Reminder: Here’s what you need to know about 2nd shots in Quebec
As of Wednesday, all adults in Quebec have been eligible to advance their appointment for their second COVID-19 vaccine dose.
Though many have been able to do so through the Clic Santé website, people continue to express frustration at the site not working for everyone.
“I’ve been checking Clic Santé multiple times a day every day for my partner and I and there’s just nothing! My site doesn’t even say ‘full’ — the calendar is just blank,” one reader emailed on Thursday.
Quebec officials have said they’re aware of certain issues with Clic Santé and are working on improving them. As a reminder, here are some key points about the province’s second-dose strategy, summarized by Montreal Gazette reporter Andy Riga.
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- Quebec’s allotment of Pfizer doses will be smaller than expected over the next three weeks, with missing shots expected to be delivered later in July. Because of that, Quebec says it’s reserving the Pfizer doses it has for people who already have appointments. That means, for now, no Pfizer walk-in clinics are taking place and Pfizer recipients who haven’t already done so might not be able to advance their second shot, the government says.
- Quebec is getting more Moderna doses than expected over the next few weeks. That means more appointment slots are opening up for Moderna recipients who want to advance their second shots. And more Moderna walk-in clinics are being set up. It also means that people who received Pfizer or AstraZeneca as their first vaccine can get Moderna for shot No. 2. They can go to Moderna walk-in clinics or, as of Monday, they will be able to opt for Moderna via Clic Santé when advancing their second dose, the government says.
- AstraZeneca recipients who want to stick with that vaccine for their second shot can get it at walk-in clinics or via appointments booked through Clic Santé.
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9:20 a.m.
COVID Conspiracies podcast: How anti-vaxxers set the stage for pandemic conspiracies
In this six-part podcast, Postmedia journalists from across the country will dive deep into why conspiracy theorists and anti-vaxxers have flourished during the pandemic, how their false claims hurt us, and what we can do about it. Hosted by Monique Beaudin of the Montreal Gazette.
The COVID Conspiracies podcast is available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, and other podcast sites.
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.
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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.
Two private sites can also help you book appointments:
9:15 a.m.
Here are the current pandemic restrictions in Montreal and Quebec
We are regularly updating our list of what services are open, closed or modified in Montreal and Quebec, including information on the curfew and other lockdown measures.
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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.
9:00 a.m.
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COVID-19 updates, June 25: Quebec reports 88 new cases, no new deaths - Montreal Gazette
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