As Quebec prepares for an anticipated lifting of restrictions, the province reported that hospitalizations decreased by 45 on Tuesday for a total of 2,380.

The health ministry said 151 patients checked into hospitals in the province for treatment and 196 were discharged.

Of the new patients, 54 (43 over 60 years old, 11 under) were triple vaccinated, 42 (22 over 60, 20 under) were double-vaccinated, 38 (24 over 60, 14 under) and eight (three over 60, five under) people received one dose of vaccine before checking into the hospital.

Six patients were between five and 11 and considered fully vaccinated and three were under five years old and ineligible to receive a dose.

With 21 patients transferred in and out of intensive care units, the total number of people in the ICU remains 178.

Quebec added 56 more deaths due to the novel coronavirus, bringing the total number since the start of the pandemic to 13,551.

NEW CASES REMAIN STABLE

Out of 17,855 PCR test samples that were analyzed, 2,504 of those came back positive for a positivity rate of 11 per cent.

There have now been 885,696 positive infections reported in the province since the beginning of the pandemic, including 838,185 people said to have recoverred.

There were 1,104 more self-declared rapid tests submitted with 828 of those coming back positive.

The Quebec Institute of Public Health (INSPQ) is monitoring 33,960 active COVID-19 cases, a decrease of 1,104, and there are 1,265 active outbreaks.

On Feb. 6, 19,379 samples were analyzed.

VACCINATION CAMPAIGN

Quebec health-care professionals administered 33,209 more doses of COVID-19 vaccine, including 32,507 in the past 24 hours.

Since the campaign began, 18,025,489 doses of vaccine have been administered in the province and 288,517 Quebecers received a jab out of province.

Of that total, 3,894,661 doses (48 per cent of the eligible population) were third booster shots.