COVID-19 cases continue to rise in Quebec with 1,683 new infections

150,000 more Montrealers eligible for vaccine With essential workers in Montreal now eligible to get the COVID-19 vaccine, 150,000 more people have been added to the list.

Montreal — Quebec reported 1,683 new coronavirus cases Friday, as hospitalizations continue to creep up.

There are now 11,897 known active cases in Quebec, after 1,230 people were reportedly virus-free on Friday. The total number of infections since the beginning of the pandemic now stands at 323,094, of which 300,471 have recovered.

The seven day average increase is now 1,345 cases per day.

The province also reported eight new deaths due to the virus, for a total of 10,726. Of those, five occured in the last 24 hours, and three between April 2 to 7.

Three more people are in hospital, for a total of 569 recieving care. Of those, 134 are in the intensive care unit (ICU), an increase of two.

On average (last seven days), nine people are hospitalized every day, with two entering the ICU.

In a record day of vaccinations, 69,148 doses were administered Thursday, as walk-in clinics began offering AstraZeneca shots to people over 55.

The province has received 2,358,095 vaccine doses, with 71,600 more from AstraZeneca expected to arrive Friday.

Health-care professionals conducted 46,712 tests on April 7 (Quebec releases its testing figures 48 hours after the reported day). The seven day average positivity rate is now 3.9 per cent.

QUEBEC CITY CASES CONTINUE TO CLIMB

For the second day in a row, Quebec City reported more COVID-19 infections than Montreal, which has long been Quebec's coronavirus hotspot.

On Friday, the capital reported 449 new cases (26,859 total), while Montreal added 392 (118,960).

Next was Chaudière-Appalaches (218 new, 13,980 total), Outaouais (120 new, 8,713 total), and Monteregie (134 new, 45,321 total).

In another unusual shift, all eight reported deaths occured outside of Montreal, with three reported in Outaouais (178 total), two in Quebec City (1,029 total), one in Laval (891 total), one in Chaudière-Appalaches (292 total), and another in Saguenay – Lac-Saint-Jean (266 total)