Premier François Legault announced 109 deaths in the past 24 hours in Quebec, increasing the province’s death toll to 1,243.
Of the recent fatalities, 93 of them are residents of facilities for elders. Among its total death toll, 93 per cent of people are 70 years old or older. Legault describes the situation in Quebec as “two worlds,” considering the spread of the virus among long-term care facilities compared to the rest of the population.
Legault continues to ask for help in fighting against COVID-19, saying that there are 9,500 health-care workers who are absent, including 5,500 who aren’t infected with COVID-19.
Along with the deaths, 873 new cases of COVID-19 were identified in the past 24 hours, bringing the province’s case count to 21,838. There are now 1,411 people in hospital (an increase of 133 since Wednesday), including 207 in intensive care (an increase of eight), while 4,484 people have recovered from the virus (an increase of 193).
The Montreal region, which remains the province’s epicentre, now has over 10,000 cases after an increase of 519. Of its cases, there are 741 people who have died.
As of April 23, health officials in Quebec have performed 158,995 negative tests for COVID-19.
