The Canadian province of Quebec, which has been paralyzed by the spread of the omicron variant, will impose a new health tax in the coming weeks for those who have not been vaccinated against COVID-19.
“We are working to make a health contribution to all adults who refuse to be vaccinated” because they represent a “financial burden for all Quebecers,” said Quebec Premier François Legault.
For him, the 10% of the county’s population who has not yet received a dose of an immunizing agent should not “harm” 90% of those who have already been vaccinated.
“It’s not up to all Quebecers to pay for it,” he said during a press conference, specifying that the provincial government wanted the tax to be a “significant amount.”
“I feel some resentment at the unvaccinated minority who, all things considered, are clogging our hospitals,” he added.
The prime minister of Quebec made it clear that those 10% of unvaccinated adults represented 50% of people in intensive care units, a situation he described as “shocking”.
In an attempt to contain the new wave, Quebec announced on December 30 the return of some restrictions, Including a 10 pm curfew Prohibition of secret sessions.
In total, 2,742 people with Covid have been hospitalized, and about 255 people are in intensive care in Quebec, which has a population of about 8 million.
Hospitalizations also continued to rise in neighboring Ontario, Canada’s most populous province, with 3,220 people hospitalized and 477 in intensive care.
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