Quebec is reporting 1,855 new cases of the novel coronavirus Thursday as the pandemic’s second wave continues to bear down on the province.
There are 22 additional deaths, including three in the past 24 hours. The other fatalities have been retroactively added to the death toll.
The COVID-19 caseload stands at 171,028, while recoveries have surpassed 145,000. The health crisis has claimed the lives of 7,635 Quebecers.
Hospitalizations are also on the rise once again and have topped four digits. The number of patients has reached 1,002, an increase of 27.
Of those patients, six more are in intensive care units across the province, for a total of 132.
Health Minister Christian Dubé expressed concern about the grim milestone for hospitalizations during the second wave.
“This means that hospital capacity is critical in hospitals in some areas,” Dubé said on Twitter. “It is up to each of us to follow the instructions to bring down hospitalizations.”
Health authorities say 969 vaccines were given Wednesday. A total of 2,582 doses have been administered after the government’s vaccination campaign began earlier this week.
The most recent screening data shows 38,486 tests were given Tuesday, while the province has topped 4.4 million tests to date.
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Quebec to add more vaccination sites as efforts ramp up
The government announced Thursday that there will be 21 vaccination sites across Quebec starting next Monday.
The available sites will be located at hospitals and long-term care homes, known as CHSLDs in the province. This includes five long-term care homes in Montreal, which were announced earlier this week.
The vaccination rollout at those 21 locations should begin in January when more doses arrive, according to the province’s health ministry.
Under the vaccination plan, residents at those long-term care homes — which have been hard hit by the pandemic — are first in line to be vaccinated against the virus.
The province plans to vaccinate up to 650,000 people by April 1, 2021, but it depends on the number of doses it receives.
— With files from The Canadian Press
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