MONTREAL -- Quebec set a record for the second-straight day for COVID-19 vaccinations on Thursday, but deaths due to the virus continue to climb.

Figures released by the province Friday show 1,043 people tested positive for the virus in the last 24 hours as hospitalizations saw a significant decrease of 27 fewer patients. There are now 684 people in hospital for COVID-19. People in the ICU also decreased by two for a total of 172.

There were 15 new deaths, including six in the last 24 hours, seven between April 16 and 21, and two before April 16. Since the start of the pandemic, 10,860 people have died from the virus. 

Another 1,626 people have recovered from COVID-19 from the day before, for a total of 320,302. 

Quebec set a record on the vaccine front in the last 24 hours by administering 88,006 doses of the vaccine into people's arms. A total of 2,679,907 vaccine doses have been administered in Quebec, while the number of vaccines received in the province stands at 3,066,969.

On Wednesday, the province reported that 84,837 injections had been given, including some 30,000 doses of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine.

Dube also reported that 50 per cent of the Quebec government's goal of vaccinating all Quebec adults at least once by June 24 has been reached, with 2,589,682 million first doses administered so far (30.1 per cent of the population).

A graph posted on Twitter by the minister on Friday shows a steady growth in the number of doses administered daily since the start of the vaccination campaign.

The Quebec Institute of Public Health (INSPQ) is reporting 11,526 active COVID-19 cases. 

Quebec now has 11,000 trained vaccinators. Appointments for vaccination are now available to the chronically ill and people with physical or intellectual disabilities.