MONTREAL -- The number of new positive COVID-19 cases remained over 1,000 in Quebec, as the province's total number of cases surpassed 85,000 Saturday.
The province's public health authorities announced that 1,097 more people have tested positive for COVID-19 in the past 24 hours and three deaths.
Health officials also announced seven deaths that happened between Oct. 3-8, and four deaths that occurred before Oct. 3.
Three deaths were reported in the Chaudiere-Appalaches region (35 total) and Laval (695 total), two were reported in Montreal (3,495 total) and Monteregie (637 total), and one death was reported in the Laurentians (284 total), Bas Saint Laurent (seven total), Estrie (34 total), and the Quebec City region (242 total).
The total number of positive cases in the province since the start of the pandemic is now 85,191, and 5,950 people have died due to the disease.
The highest increase in cases was on the Island of Montreal, which reported 277 new cases (37,119 total) followed by the Quebec City region with 184 new cases (5,919 total), and Monteregie with 169 new cases (12,255 total).
The number of hospitalizations increased Saturday with 11 more people receiving care in Quebec hospitals for a total of 444. Of those, 73 people are in the intensive care ward, an increase of six.
Officials reported that 1,110 more people have recovered from the disease bringing the total number of recoveries to 70,696 (82 per cent of the total cases).
Quebec public health professionals analyzed 28,773 samples Oct. 8. (Quebec releases its testing data from two days prior to its daily updates).
