Quebec adds 2,588 new coronavirus cases, 45 deaths as hospitalizations soar

Quebec is reporting 2,588 new cases and 45 additional deaths Friday as the second wave of the COVID-19 crisis continues to gain ground.

The province also saw a jump in hospitalizations linked to the new coronavirus. There are 23 more patients in hospital for a total of 1,403 — a number not seen since the spring.

Of those patients, 207 are in intensive care, a rise of five from the previous day.

Health Minister Christian Dubé addressed the uptick in hospitalizations on social media, pointing to new lockdown measures as a way to get the pandemic under control.

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“One of the objectives behind the additional restrictions, which will come into effect tomorrow, is to bring down hospitalizations,” he said.

The caseload stands at 223,106, while recoveries have topped 189,937. The pandemic has claimed the lives of 8,606 Quebecers so far after a death previously attributed to the virus was withdrawn from the tally.

Health authorities say 43,784 tests were administered Wednesday, the latest day for which screening data is available. Over the course of the health crisis, there have been more than five million tests.

When it comes to vaccination, the province once again ramped up the number of doses given out. On Thursday, 13,971 doses were administered for a total of 62,602.

Quebec’s new set of lockdown restrictions and a nightly curfew come into effect Saturday. The public is ordered to stay home from 8 p.m. to 5 a.m. each day until Feb. 8.

There are a few exceptions for the new rules and not all sectors will be closed. Confused by the new measures? A guide as to what is allowed and what’s not is available here.