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Quebec’s new COVID-19 cases back above 700 as hospitalizations fall again

Click to play video: 'COVID-19: Dubé outlines vaccination plan for Quebecers aged 12 to 17'
COVID-19: Dubé outlines vaccination plan for Quebecers aged 12 to 17
During a news conference on Thursday, Health Minister Christian Dubé outlined how and when COVID-19 vaccines will be administered starting later this month for kids aged 12 to 17, calling the initiative “good news” in the fight against the pandemic. He added that the goal is to offer the first dose to teenagers by the end of June and hopefully give the booster before students return to class in the fall – May 20, 2021

Quebec is reporting 752 new cases and nine additional deaths Friday as the province opened COVID-19 drive-thru vaccination sites to children aged 12 to 17 in Montreal.

It is the first time in nearly a week that the daily tally of new infections is that high. The case mark sat just above the 700 mark last Saturday, according to authorities.

The most recent information shows that none of those deaths occurred in the past 24 hours and they were retroactively added to the growing tally.

The vaccination campaign saw another 110,513 doses given for a total of more than 4.7 million. The province’s public health institute says 52.5 per cent of all Quebecers have received at least one dose of vaccine.

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The government is also urging adults who haven’t booked their shots to do so before appointments open to teens across Quebec next week.

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READ MORE: Quebec wants to offer teens first vaccination dose by end of June

Health Minister Christian Dubé said on Twitter that 340,000 more appointments need to be made to reach the target of 75 per cent of adults in the province with at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine or an appointment to receive one.

The number of hospitalizations linked to the novel coronavirus dropped again for the seventh day in a row. There are 437 patients, a decrease of 23 from the previous day.

Of them, 106 are in intensive care units, a drop of one.

Authorities say 33,373 tests were administered Wednesday, the latest day for which that information is available.

The case count now stands at 366,394. The health crisis has killed 11,075 Quebecers to date.

Recoveries, meanwhile, now top 348,000.

With files from The Canadian Press

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