MONTREAL -- *APRIL 13 UPDATE: Quebec reports 32 new COVID-19 deaths as confirmed cases rise above 13,500. READ LATEST STORY HERE.*
There are now 328 people who have died of COVID-19 in Quebec, health authorities announced Sunday, as confirmed cases in the province reached 12,846.
That’s up 39 from the 289 deaths reported Saturday; COVID-19 cases in Quebec rose 554 from the 12,292 announced a day earlier.
There are 824 people being treated for COVID-19 in Quebec hospitals as of Sunday, up 46 from the 778 reported Saturday; of those in a hospital, 217 are in intensive care, up only six from the 211 reported 24 hours earlier.
There are 2,250 people waiting for COVID-19 test results in Quebec as of Sunday, down 250 from the 2,500 reported Saturday.
The number of people in Quebec who have recovered from COVID-19 as of Sunday was 1745, up 182 from the 1,563 recoveried reported Saturday.
Quebec Premier Francois Legault and his health officials took Easter Sunday off from their daily COVID-19 updates in Quebec City.
In a statement issued Sunday afternoon, the Quebec Health and Social Services Department said of the latest numbers: "Despite the new deaths recorded, the Quebec government is encouraged by the controlled development of the virus's spread and the number of new hospitalizations and admissions to intensive care.
"The figures reveal that Quebecers' efforts are achieving the anticipated results but, above all, that they must be strictly maintained."
"No interior or exterior physical gatherings are allowed at Easter," the statement added. "The principle applies to everyone, regardless of religion."
Earlier Sunday, the office of Quebec’s coroner announced it would be looking into 31 deaths of patients at the Maison Herron seniors’ residence in Dorval on Montreal’s West Island.
At Legault’s briefing Saturday, where he announced the 31 deaths, he reported that five of them were related to COVID-19.
Montreal remains the epicentre of COVID-19 in Quebec, with 6,088 confirmed cases as of Saturday; you can see a map breaking down COVID-19 across all of Quebec's regions here.