MONTREAL -- Quebec reported a reduction in hospitalizations due to COVID-19 for a third straight day on Sunday.

The province said 14 fewer people are receiving treatment in Quebec hospitals reducing the total number of people receiving treatment for the novel coronavirus to 1,460. Of those, 215 people are in the intensive care ward, a decrease of 12.

Quebec reported that 1,744 more people tested positive for COVID-19 in the past 24 hours bringing the total number of people who have tested positive for the novel coronavirus to 242,714 since the start of the pandemic. 

The province added that "a delay in the transmission of laboratory data has caused a delay in the reporting of COVID-19 cases to public health departments yesterday, and a drop in the number of new cases reported." The situation will be restored today, and tomorrow's update will include cases not reported today, according to Quebec's public health site. 

Since Saturday, Quebec's Institute of Public health reported that 2,644 people have recovered from COVID-19 bringing that total to 213,008.

The institute reports 20,636 active COVID-19 cases.

The province also reported 50 more deaths due to disease bringing that total to 9,055. Of those, eight people are reported to have died within the past 24 hours, 26 deaths were reported between Jan. 10 and Jan. 15, seven before Jan. 10 and nine at an unknown date.

On Jan. 15, health-care professionals analyzed 37,087 samples. (Quebec releases its testing data from two days prior to its daily updates).

As of Jan. 16, 8,838 doses of vaccine were administered bringing that total to 146,694. On average, there have been 8,949 vaccines administered per day over the past week.

REGIONAL DATA

Montreal's COVID-19 case count increased by 754 Sunday bringing the total number of cases on the island to 86,493 since the pandemic began. 

Monteregie (264 new, 34,511 total), Laval (139 new, 20,376 total), Quebec City (113 new, 20,364 total), the Laurentians (100 new, 13,229 total) and Chaudiere-Appalaches (99 new, 10,305 total) all saw large increases in cases.

Thirteen deaths were reported in Monteregie (1,211 total); 10 in Montreal (4,084 total); six in Quebec City (819 total); five in Mauricie-et-Centre-du-Quebec (404 total); three in Saguenay-Lac-Saint Jean (244 total), the Eastern Townships (228 total) and Lanaudiere (433 total); and two in Laval (797 total) and the Laurentians (393 total)

One death was reported in Outaouais (142 total), Gaspesie-Magdalen Islands (45 total), and Chaudiere-Appalaches (218 total).