Public health officials in Quebec are expected to provide an update on the COVID-19 situation early Friday afternoon.

National Director of Public Health, Dr. Luc Boileau, is scheduled to speak at 1 p.m.

This comes after the Quebec Ministry of Health reported 671 new COVID-19 cases and 13 additional deaths related to the coronavirus.

The number of hospitalizations remained essentially unchanged at 2222, including 763 due to COVID-19 - one more than the previous day.

There are sixty-nine people in intensive care, including 35 due to COVID-19, an increase of four. Additionally, 6532 healthcare workers are absent for COVID-19 related reasons.

As of Monday, parents of children aged six months to four years can book an appointment to vaccinate their children against COVID-19.

The Canadian Ministry of Health recently approved the Moderna Spikevax vaccine for young children, and Quebec received its first shipment of more than 70,000 doses this week.

The age group from six months to four years represents nearly 400,000 children in Quebec.

However, a survey conducted from July 8 to 20 by the Quebec National Public Institute (INSPQ) on Tuesday indicates that only 41 percent of parents of children aged four years or younger intend to vaccinate them.

Among respondents, 40 percent of parents said they did not plan to vaccinate, and 19 percent said their decision had not yet been made.

The main reason given by parents, at 23 percent, was that they do not see the need because they consider the health risks of COVID-19 to be low for their children.

Among the rest, 20 percent said they were concerned about potential side effects, and 17 percent said they do not believe coronavirus vaccines were effective.