Quebec’s novel coronavirus caseload has reached 126,054 after the province recorded 982 new infections Tuesday.
The health crisis has led to 24 additional deaths, including five in the last 24 hours. Since March, the pandemic has claimed the lives of 6,675 Quebecers.
Hospitalizations due to COVID-19 rose by 47 to 638. Among those patients, 100 are in intensive care, an increase of 13 from the previous day.
Health Minister Christian Dubé says the surge in hospitalizations is directly related to the high number of cases in the past week.
The latest information provided by the province shows 20,540 tests were administered Sunday. To date, around 3.5 million tests have been given.
There have been more than 107,000 recoveries in Quebec since the pandemic began.
The province remains a long-standing hotspot for the virus. It has the highest caseload and death toll in Canada, which surpassed 300,000 cases this week.
Quebec Premier Francois Legault is set to address the second wave of the pandemic on Tuesday afternoon. He will be joined by Dubé and Dr. Horacio Arruda, director of Quebec public health, in Montreal.
The update comes one week before restrictions in designated coronavirus red zones, including Montreal and Quebec City, are set to end — if all goes well. In regions on red alert, gyms, museums, bars and dining rooms are shuttered and most gatherings are banned until Nov. 23.
As cases surge, Legault admitted the government is considering temporarily closing schools to limit the spread of the virus. He stressed, however, that the province wants to keep schools open.
