A record number of new COVID-19 cases were recorded across Quebec as 2,038 people tested positive positive for the virus on Friday.
The previous record for new cases in the province was set on Dec. 5, when 2,031 people tested positive in one day. Quebec has now surpassed the unwanted benchmark of 2,000 cases twice despite the provincial government’s recent efforts to reduce the spread of the virus.
Ontario reported 2,357 new cases Saturday morning and the province has recorded more than 2,000 per day for several days.
The number of new cases recorded on Friday in Quebec was well above the average over the previous six days, which was 1,813.
The provincial government recorded 44 new deaths, including two people who died Friday.
The number of hospitalizations attributed to the virus dropped by six, to 1,005, and the number of people in intensive care units increased by one, to 142.
Across the province, 715 vaccines were administered Friday.
Montreal recorded the highest number of new cases, 625, among the 18 regions broken down in data supplied by the government. Meanwhile, the number of people who tested positive in the Monterégie, south of Montreal, increased significantly. There were 349 new cases recorded in the Montégie on Friday compared with an average of 237 over the previous five days.
