Quebec is reporting 1,203 new cases and 43 additional deaths linked to the novel coronavirus health crisis Monday.
Health authorities say 12 of those deaths occurred in the last 24 hours, while 31 of them took place between Jan. 18 and 23.
The caseload has reached 254,836, while recoveries have topped 228,000 to date. Since the pandemic began, 9,521 Quebecers have died as a result of COVID-19, the disease caused by the virus.
Hospitalizations continued to dip Monday. There are 1,321 patients in hospital, a decrease of six from the previous day.
Of them, two fewer patients are in intensive care units for a total of 217.
Health Minister Christian Dubé called the latest case numbers encouraging, showing that the restrictions in place and efforts made by Quebecers are bearing fruit.
“The decrease in cases is starting to impact hospitalizations that are slightly down,” he wrote on Twitter.
When it comes to screening, the province conducted 27,448 tests Saturday, the latest day for which that information is available. There have been more than 5.6 million tests since the pandemic began.
Quebec provided 1,960 coronavirus vaccines on Sunday. The drop in the daily amount of doses administered comes amid shipment delays from Pfizer. So far, more than 220,000 vaccines have been given.
Police hand out tickets for curfew violations
Montreal police say the department received 545 calls last week related to public health violations.
A total of 773 tickets were given to Montrealers who allegedly flouted the rules. This includes 396 for breaking the province’s nightly curfew, which is in effect from 8 p.m. to 5 a.m. until Feb.8.
Meanwhile, Quebec’s provincial police force issued 531 fines from Jan. 18 to Jan. 24.
The Sûreté du Québec says of those tickets, 379 were given for curfew violations. Police officers handed 80 of those curfew fines on highways in the area of Greater Montreal.
Quebec is the only province to implement a curfew in a bid to curb the spread of COVID-19. The fines for breaking the health order from $1,000 to $6,000.