MONTREAL -- Quebec announced on Easter Monday that 1,252 more people have tested positive for COVID-19, as the number of vaccines administered dropped significantly on Sunday.

The Quebec Institute of Public Health also says there are 10,271 active COVID-19 cases in the province. The province was last around this level in mid-February.

The province added four deaths due to the disease, including one in the past 24 hours, one between March 29 and April 3, one before March 29 and one at an unknown date. 

Since March 2020, 10,697 people in the province have died due to the novel coronavirus. 

Quebec hospitalizations increased by one in the last 24 hours for a total of 503. ICU numbers fell, with five fewer people receiving intensive care. A total of 123 people are in the ICU.

Health-care professionals in the province analyzed 24,065 samples on April 3.

The new numbers bring the overall total number of infections since the start of the pandemic in Quebec to 317,364.

Of those who tested positive, 296,396 are reported to have recovered, an increase of 943 from Sunday.

REGIONAL BREAKDOWN

Regions with triple digit new cases include Montreal (348 new, 117,599 total), Quebec City (243 new, 25, 434) and Monteregie (129 new, 44, 842).

Bas-Saint-Laurent, Montreal, the Laurentides and Monteregie all recorded one new death in the last 24 hours. The total number of deaths due to COVID-19 in those regions are, respectively, 32, 4,630, 488, and 1,513. 

On Monday, the health minister said Montreal continues to be placed under pressure due to the health crisis and that situation in Quebec's hospitals is "worrying."

VACCINATIONS

On the vaccination front, only half as many vaccines were administered Sunday as were on Saturday and the previous several days. 

There were 22,494 doses given out in the last 24 hours, while more than 40,000 doses were administered in each of the last six days. 

The total number of doses administered in Quebec stands at 1,552,215. 

VARIANTS

The number of confirmed COVID-19 variant cases did not increase Monday, remaining at 1,592, but the number of suspected variant cases grew by 690 for a total of 11,027, according to the INSPQ.