MONTREAL -- As many students in the province get set for Spring Break, Quebec reported Sunday that 737 more people have tested positive for COVID-19 bringing the overall total to 287,740 since the pandemic began.

Of the overall total, 269,530 are reported to have recovered from the disease, an increase of 885.

The Quebec Institute of Public Health is reporting that there are 7,817 active cases, a decrease of 156 from Saturday. That number is the lowest number of active cases since Oct. 1 when there were 7,527.

The seven-day average for new daily cases is now 803. 

Quebec reported nine new deaths due to the novel coronavirus including four in the past 24 hours, two between Feb. 21 and Feb. 25, and three before Feb. 21.

Since the pandemic began, 10,393 people in Quebec have died due to the disease.

Hospitalization numbers increased for just the second time in the past week with the provinces reporting that two more people are receiving treatment in Quebec hospitals for a total of 601. Of those, 117 people are in intensive care wards, an increase of five.

Quebec reports that 12,469 doses of vaccine were administered yesterday, which is 3,433 fewer than were administered Friday. The total number of vaccine doses given out in the province is now 432,255 (4.4 per cent of the total population). 

On Feb. 26, health-care professionals analyzed 25,347 samples. (Quebec releases its sampling data from two days prior to its daily updates).

REGIONAL DATA

The highest increase in cases was reported in Montreal (317 new, 106,189 total) followed by Laval (99 new, 24,652 total), the Laurentians (79 new, 16,356 total) and Monteregie (78 new, 41,760).

It is the lowest number of cases Monteregie has reported in weeks.

Of the new deaths, four were reported in Montreal (4,506 total).

One death was reported in Quebec City (982 total), Chaudiere-Appalaches (868 total), the Laurentians (472 total), and Monteregie (1,473 total).