Quebec is reporting 2,013 new COVID-19 cases on Friday, as cases continue to surge across the province.
The last time infections reached such highs was at the beginning of the year in mid-January.
The caseload since the start of the health crisis now stands at 462,246 with 437,722 recoveries bringing the number of active cases to 12,921.
Another six deaths were added on Friday for a total of 11,603.
On Thursday, Health Minister Christian Dubé said a rise in cases was expected, according to modelling projections by Quebec’s institute of public health.
He noted a more important indicator to follow was the number of hospitalizations, which increased by one on Friday to 256.
Of those patients, 62 are in intensive care.
Vaccination efforts continue with a focus on giving a first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine to children between the ages of five and 11.
So far, 233,817 of them have gotten a shot, while another 78,287 have booked an appointment.
INSPQ data shows that 82,7 per cent of the population has received at least one dose of a vaccine.