Quebec reported 19 new deaths related to the COVID-19 pandemic on Thursday as patient numbers fell sharply.
Health authorities issued the roundup a bit later than scheduled, saying the release of the daily tally had been “exceptionally delayed.”
Pandemic-related hospitalizations stood at 1,034, a drop of 39. This comes after 63 people were admitted in the past day, while 102 were discharged.
There were 50 intensive care cases related to the disease, a decrease of six compared with the previous day.
The province recorded 1,462 new cases, but that number isn’t reflective of the current situation since PCR testing is limited to certain high-risk groups.
On that note, 15,663 tests were administered at screening sites across the province Tuesday.
Quebecers continued to declare the results of their rapid tests as well. Officials say 493 results were registered online and 396 of those were positive for the virus.
The province gave 5,819 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine in the past 24-hour period. More than 18.5 millions shots have been administered to date.
Quebec has seen a total of 941,112 official cases since the beginning of the health crisis. The death toll has reached 14,232.
Recoveries, meanwhile, topped more than 913,000.
The provincial government also announced it is expanding access to the antiviral drug Paxlovid.
Quebec announced in a press release Thursday that the oral therapy will soon be available from pharmacies with a prescription from a doctor or a specialized nurse practitioner.
The drug is the first COVID-19 treatment approved in Canada that can be taken at home and is designed to treat adults with mild to moderate COVID-19 who are at risk of developing serious complications.
— with files from The Canadian Press