The seventh wave in Quebec is ongoing, and the latest Omicron variant, BA.5, accounts for about 43 percent of new coronavirus cases, according to Chief Public Health Advisor Dr. Marie-France Rouleau.

Rouleau held a press conference on Thursday afternoon to provide an update on the spread of COVID-19 in Quebec, urging the public to be cautious in the face of the "highly contagious" new variant.

She said, "We expect more hospitalizations in the coming weeks."

However, even with hospitals crowded with COVID-19 patients, she said the situation is not yet critical, pointing out the fact that about half of the people in the hospital with the virus were admitted for another reason and were later also confirmed.

For now, the province does not plan to reintroduce any health-related restrictions. She continued, "Living with COVID-19 means living normally, but taking some very simple measures."

These measures should include wearing a mask when social distancing is not possible. She also encouraged people to play and meet outdoors rather than indoors. She added, "And of course, vaccination."

Public health is working on changing the way hospital capacity is reported by distinguishing between people in the hospital for COVID-19 versus those who tested positive after arrival.

In the past 24 hours, an increase of a total of 93 hospital admissions was reported, with 258 new admissions and 165 discharges. There are now 1860 people in the hospital infected with the virus.

However, only 55 percent of them were admitted due to complications directly related to COVID-19, with the rest hospitalized for other conditions but tested positive after arrival. Rouleau said, "This was not the case in previous waves, in 2020. There are more people admitted to the hospital with COVID than for COVID."

Meanwhile, there are 45 people with COVID-19 in intensive care, an increase of two from the previous day, with eight admissions and six discharges.

Of these, 21 were admitted due to COVID-19, while the others tested positive later.

The province also reported 18 more deaths related to the virus, bringing the total to 15,726 since the start of the pandemic.

On Thursday, the Canadian Ministry of Health approved the COVID-19 vaccine for infants and preschoolers, making it the first authorized vaccine for this age group in the country.

It is currently unclear when vaccines will be available for this age group in Quebec, as the province is still awaiting recommendations from its Immunization Committee, CIQ, on how to roll out booster vaccines for young children.