Quebec reports 158 new COVID-19 cases, with seven new deaths

Quebec's COVID-19 recovery rates spike Quebec is using a new system to determine its recovery rates from COVID-19 and with that, active cases in the province have plummeted.

MONTREAL — Quebec public health authorities reported Saturday that 158 more people have tested positive for COVID-19 in the past 24 hours.

The new cases bring the total number in the province since the start of the pandemic to 57,300.

Authorities also announced that two more people have died due to the virus in the past 24 hours, and five deaths were recorded before July 10. The total number of deaths in the province is now 5,654.

As of Saturday, Quebec reported that 50,027 people have recovered from the virus, which is 88 more than a day ago. Health authorities announced they are now using a new system for calculating the number of people who have recovered from COVID-19 -- a decision which immediately sent the province's, and Canada's, recovery numbers skyrocketing Friday.

The number hospitalizations dropped again Saturday with 12 fewer patients receiving treatment in the province's hospitals for a total of 248. Of those, 15 patients are in the intensive care ward, a decrease of one from Friday.

On July 16, health officials analyzed 15,258 samples, which is 306 more than the 14,952 analyzed July 15. (Quebec releases testing information from two days prior to the daily updates).

The numbers come during the first day that masks are mandatory at all indoor public spaces in the province. The new directive applies to all people over 12 years of age, and businesses are expected to enforce the rules or face fines ranging from $400 to $6,000.