Quebec records 436 new cases of COVID-19 for second day in a row

Quebec recorded 436 new cases but no new deaths Thursday as the province deals with a rise in COVID-19 infections.

It is the second day in a row that the health authorities report that exact number for the daily tally of cases.

The immunization rollout reported another 44,012 doses of the novel coronavirus vaccine administered since the last update. Over the course of the campaign, more than 11.9 million shots have been doled out in the province.

Health Minister Christian Dubé announced that 75 per cent of Quebecers aged 18 to 24 have now received a first dose of the vaccine.

“This is excellent news,” he wrote on Twitter. “We must continue to raise this rate and go get your second dose.”

READ MORE: Post-secondary schools react to Quebec’s mask mandate: ‘the right thing to do’

Meanwhile, the number of pandemic-related hospitalizations rose by three to 91. Of those patients, there are 27 people in intensive care units — a drop of one from the previous day.

The Health Department says 13 people with the disease were admitted to hospitals across the province and 10 COVID-19 patients were discharged.

When it comes to patients who were admitted in the past 24 hours, Dubé says that 85 per cent of them are not fully vaccinated.

When it comes to screening, 18,155 tests were given Tuesday. That is the latest day for which that information is available.

Since the health crisis started, Quebec has reported a total of 383,191 cases and 11,277 virus-related deaths. The death toll was amended to remove one previously reported death following an investigation.

The number of recoveries stood at 368,629 as of Thursday.

—with files from The Canadian Press