Hospitalizations continued to fall in Quebec as the province reported 42 new pandemic-related deaths Thursday.
There was a decrease of 93 for a total of 2,637 hospitalizations linked to COVID-19. Of them, 191 people were in intensive care, a drop of 13 compared with the previous day.
Health officials say 193 patients were admitted to hospital while 286 left over the past 24-hour period.
Quebec also recorded 3,592 new novel coronavirus cases as part of its daily tally. The government says this count is not representative of the situation since screening facilities are limited to priority groups.
The province administered 30,390 tests Tuesday, the most recent day for which that information is available.
Quebecers also continued to register self-declared rapid tests on the government’s new website. So far, 53,858 results have been added, including 40,941 positive tests.
When it comes to vaccination, another 47,935 shots of the COVID-19 vaccine were doled in the last 24 hours. The province has given more than 17.8 million shots over the course of the campaign.
Quebec has seen a total of 872,029 cases and 13,378 deaths during the pandemic. Recoveries have surpassed 815,000.
Rapid tests for high school students
Quebec will start providing COVID-19 rapid tests to high school students to take home over the next few days.
The Health Ministry announced Thursday that rapid tests will also be given to students in adult education and vocational training centres too. The province has set aside 3.5 million tests in total.
“This measure aims to reduce the risk of outbreaks in schools,” the ministry said in a statement.
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The boxes of five tests will be delivered to schools in the coming days so that teens and adults who have developed symptoms of COVID-19 can test themselves at home.
Prior to the move, educational institutions were only able to administer rapid tests on site — and not send packs home with students.
The Health Ministry says it will also give out more boxes of rapid tests in pre-schools and elementary schools at the end of February.