MONTREAL -- As the first shipments of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine arrive in the province, Quebec reported Monday that 1,620 more people have tested positive for COVID-19 since Sunday, bringing the total number of positive cases in the province to 165,535 since the start of the pandemic.
The number is over 100 fewer than the seven-day average number of new cases, which is 1,766.
The Quebec Institute of Public Health (INSPQ) is reporting that there are now 16,656 active novel coronavirus cases in the province.
During the same 24-hour period, Quebec reports that six people died in addition to 17 who died between Dec. 7 and Dec. 12, and two who died before Dec. 7.
With the 25 new deaths, the total number of people who have died due to the disease in the province since the start of the pandemic is now 7,533.
The province reported that 10 more people are in Quebec hospitals receiving treatment for the novel coronavirus, for a total of 890. Of those, 122 are in the intensive care ward, one fewer than on Sunday.
The INSPQ reports that 1,495 more people have recovered from the disease bringing that total to 141,345 or 85 per cent of the total confirmed cases.
Health-care professionals analyzed 30,487 samples Dec. 12. (Quebec releases its testing data from two days prior to its daily update).
REGIONAL DATA
Quebec City saw a sharp rise in deaths Monday with the region reporting that 13 more people have died (539 total).
Two deaths were reported in Mauricie-et-Centre-du-Quebec (312 total), the Eastern Townships (97 total), Chaudiere-Appalaches (151 total) and Monteregie (942 total); and one more death was reported in Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean (174 total), Outaouais (93 total), Lanaudiere (365 total) and Cote-Nord (three total).
Montreal reported no new deaths, but saw the highest increase in new cases with 552 (58,373). That number, however, is below the seven-day average for the island which is 583.
Other regions with triple-digit increases Monday were: Quebec City with 198 new cases (14,405 total), Monteregie with 182 new cases (23,038 total), Laval with 141 new cases (13,367 total), and Lanaudiere with 137 new cases (12,929 total).
