MONTREAL -- After hovering between 650 and 780 new COVID-19 cases per day, Quebec reported that 945 people tested positive for the virus in the past 24 hours bringing the overall total to 305,435.
The number is well above the seven-day average of 755 cases per day.
Of the total cases, 287,632 are reported to have recovered from the disease, an increase of 686 since Wednesday.
Quebec also added four deaths due to the disease including one in the past 24 hours, and three between March 18 and March 23.
Since the pandemic began, 10,630 people have died due to COVID-19 in Quebec.
Hospitalizations in Quebec dropped below 500 for the first time since Oct. 18 when 498 people were receiving care.
On Thursday, Quebec reported 496 patients are now receiving care for COVID-19 in the province's hospital, a drop of 12. Of those, 117 people are in intensive care wards, a decrease of one.
A total of 1,065,823 vaccine doses have now been administered in the province including 39,814 shots which were administered yesterday. To date, 12.6 per cent of Quebecers have received a dose of vaccine.
On March 23, 36,197 samples were analyzed (Quebec releases its testing data from two days prior to its daily updates).
REGIONAL DATA
Montreal reported the highest increase in cases Thursday (351 new, 113,925 total), followed by Monteregie (115 new, 43,649 total), Laval (98 new, 26,686 total) and Quebec City (80 new, 23,404 total).
Three of the new deaths were reported in Montreal (4,606 total) and one was reported in Monteregie (1,510 total).
