Thousands of people have requested the first dose of the covid-19 vaccine in Quebec, Canada, after the province’s authorities announced that they study impose a special tax on those who are not immunized.
The Quebec Minister of Health, Christian Dube, tweeted this Wednesday that the appointments to receive first doses continue to increase and that after adding some 5,000 on Monday, the figure rose to 7,000 on Tuesday, the highest in recent days.
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According to the authorities of that city, “111,395 (doses were applied) in the last 24 hours and 4,711 before January 12, for a total of 16,080,391 doses administered in Quebec. Outside Quebec, a total of 257,300 doses were administered, for a cumulative total of 16,337,691 doses received by Quebecers.”
On Tuesday the provincial prime minister, François Legault, announced that it is considering imposing a special “significant” tax on those people who are not vaccinated, due to the cost that their treatment entails for the health system if they become infected with covid-19.
According to Legault, 50% of people admitted to hospitals in the province for covid-19 they are patients who are not vaccinated and it is not fair that all of society pay the cost of their decision not to be immunized.
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The proposal comes at a time when the health system of Canada It is saturated by the sharp increase in covid-19 cases due to the omicron variant, and the country’s hospitals are experiencing difficulties in treating all patients.
The prime minister of that country, Justin Trudeau, was reluctant on Wednesday to support the Quebec measure, although he did not criticize it either.
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During a press conference in Ottawa, Trudeau declared that he had received “with interest” the Québec proposal, but that he needed more details to give his opinion.
He added that the federal authorities have already implemented “tough measures” to encourage the vaccination of Canadians, such as prohibiting the unimmunized travel by plane or train, or force all federal officials to receive the vaccines.
Another measure that will be implemented in Quebec, for example, is to require people who want to enter stores where they sell alcohol or marijuana to have a vaccination passport. This will take effect from next January 18, as established on the official website of the Government.
In addition, from January 24, 2022, the vaccination card will be requested to access “commercial establishments with an area greater than 1,500 m2, with the exception of those whose main activity is the sale of pharmacy products,” they establish.
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Organizations working with minorities have warned that the proposal dealing with the tax may increase inequalities in the face of the pandemic and disproportionately affect people of color or indigenous people.
For its part, the Canadian Civil Liberties Association described the measure as “divisive” and pointed out that it may be unconstitutional.
EFE
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