Quebec is reporting 1,620 new cases and 25 additional deaths linked to the novel coronavirus Monday as the health crisis continues.
Health authorities say six of those deaths occurred in the past 24-hour period, while the others were retroactively added to the death toll.
The caseload stands at 165,535 — which remains the highest tally in the country. Recoveries have surpassed 141,000 as of Monday.
The health crisis has claimed the lives of 7,533 Quebecers since March.
Hospitalizations climbed by 10 to 890. Of those patients in hospital, 122 are in intensive care — one less than the previous day.
Health Minister Christian Dubé says the province has reached a new step with the arrival of the first vaccines Monday, but he called on Quebecers to keep abiding by public health measures.
“We must not relax our efforts to protect our most vulnerable,” he wrote on Twitter.
The province gave 30,487 tests Saturday, the latest day for which that information is available. So far, Quebec has given more than 4.3 million tests.