MONTREAL -- Quebec health authorities reported 1,842 new cases of COVID-19 on Thursday, bringing the total number of cases in the province since the start of the pandemic to 158,310. Of them, 16,017 are active.
The seven-day average of new cases in Quebec currently stands at 1,683 per day.
The province also reported another 33 deaths linked to the disease. Of them, eight took place in the past 24 hours, 18 occurred between Dec. 3 and Dec. 8, five before Dec. 3 and another two from an unknown date.
As of Thursday, 7,382 people have died due to COVID-19 in the province.
Montreal reported the highest number of new cases in Quebec on Wednesday, with 648 (total 55,908) breaking a single-day record, followed by Monteregie, with 207 (total 22,226), Quebec City, with 193 (total 13,555), Laval, with 134 (total 12,777), and Lanaudiere, with 129 (total 12,448).
The Eastern Townships also reported 120 new cases of the disease on Wednesday (total 5,723) and Mauricie, 108 (total 7,775).
Of the deaths announced Wednedsay, six were reported in Montreal (3,688 total); four in Lanaudiere (355 total); three in Quebec City (502 total), Mauricie-et-Centre-du-Quebec (284 total) and Monteregie (922 total); and two in Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean (161 total).
The following regions also reported one death each: Bas-Saint-Laurent (24 total), the Eastern Townships (86 total), Outaouais (89 total), and Gaspesie-Magdalen Islands (42 total).
Hospitalizations increased by four from Wednesday to Thursday and there are now 848 people receiving treatment for COVID-19 in Quebec hospitals. Of them, 113 are in the intensive care ward, which is eight fewer than Wednesday's total.
Wednesday's update saw 1,218 more people recover from COVID-19 in Quebec, for a total of 134,910.
Quebec reported that it completed analyses of 35,950 COVID-19 samples on Dec. 8 (Quebec reports its daily testing figures from two days prior).
