[ Sign up for our Health IQ newsletter for the latest coronavirus updates ]Quebec Premier Francois Legault has opted to maintain restrictions in Montreal and the surrounding regions because public health authorities fear a novel coronavirus variant will soon cause regional case numbers and hospitalization rates to rise again.
New Quebec projections warn of possible spike in COVID-19 cases Legault has said the province is racing to vaccinate vulnerable older adults before the more transmissible variant first identified in the United Kingdom can fully take hold.Health Minister Christian Dube has said the province will step up the pace of vaccination this week as more regions join Montreal in opening mass immunization clinics for the general.